


Red Flags And Long Nights

by metal_dragon



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Bisexuality, Camping, Choking, Consensual Sex, Creampie, Depressed Guys Having Sex, Dominance, Emotional Baggage, Exhibitionism, F slur, Gay Sex, Humiliation kink, IDK they're both sad and pathetic, Intercrural Sex, Internalized Homophobia, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Pain, Prequel, Rimming, Romance: Emotionally stilted idiot edition, Rough Sex, Sentimental, Slapping, Thigh sex, Tragic Romance, Trauma, blowjob
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:20:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 39,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25237606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metal_dragon/pseuds/metal_dragon
Summary: This is just a really self-indulgent fanfic about pre-game Therion and Darius being thieves, roaming the land, and "no-homoing" each other while they have passionate and rough sex. There will probably be some questionable content later on so don't say I didn't warn you. I just want to write a tragic anti-romance about a repressed bisexual guy with a power kink fucking his lonely and depressed gay friend. This fic functions as backstory to Therion, and fleshes out his and Darius' relationship.I also write really pretentiously because I'm still bitter that my 11th grade English teacher hated me. I don't know what else to say.Disclaimer for homophobia and usage of the F-slur as well as allusions to trauma.
Relationships: Darius & Therion (Octopath Traveler), Darius/Therion (Octopath Traveler)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 28





	1. Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a wild ride. I already have over 6k words written of this story so if I don't post more soon you have permission to call me a dumb shithead in the comments. There's no sex in this chapter because I have a chunk of paragraphs that I have yet to rewrite since I changed my mind about the content of the beginning chapters halfway through writing it.

Two cloaked figures slipped into the shadows so effortlessly as to give the impression they were shadows themselves. The swish of the fabric enveloping them echoed silently in the abandoned grotto that served as a temporary hideout. And the plunders of their recent escapades clinked and clattered despite their best attempts to conceal the noise.

With a stride at once resembling a graceful ballerina and a swaggering brigand, the younger and shorter of the two came to sit down on an upturned crate and listened patiently for any signs of pursuit.

“It’s clear, lad.” Taking one last look around, Darius sat on a small chair next to Therion. With a bold smirk, he lifted the hood from his eyes, revealing the bright red hair underneath. “You’re always worried about things you’ve ought not to concern yourself with. You know I have an instinct for these things.” He was dead on, and he often was in these situations. Therion and Darius have been partners in crime since they first met as young teenagers, and he knew the job inside and out. Years of experience have solidified him as one of the best thieves around. He had never publicly claimed this, for not only did he have less interest in advertising his skills than his younger, more brash partner, he felt it was entirely too obvious.

“Well, let’s light a fire and see what we’ve got.” Therion said boldly.

It was almost a ritual for these two, the post-job routine. They knew exactly who was doing what and how, and it would all be set for a night of revelry in a tavern miles away. They were no fools to stay in an area that would soon be overrun with guards. The fire’s advantage, beyond providing warmth and light (which were decidedly unnecessary for men such as them), was to mislead any of the more inquisitive guardsmen intent on following their trail.

Therion took two pieces of flint, striking them against each other next to a pile of wood which had once been a crate. The sparks soon became flame and the flame turned to a small yet raging fire, the weaker orange dancing away from a core of rich blue. The bounty they’d gathered soon found itself spread out on the floor, being accounted for coin by coin. They had done this a thousand times before, but the thrill and satisfaction of their hard work paying off filled their hearts with an emotion resembling content.

Darius stared at the neatly stacked piles of coin, recounting them all for good measure. With a pleased sigh, he deposited it all into a burlap he had with him, handing it to Therion for safekeeping. The jewelry and other miscellaneous items went in a hidden pocket sewn into his leather cuirass. He patted down the area, both to flatten any suspicious bulging of the fabric, and to reassure himself that all was accounted for. Therion wrapped his arm around his friend’s shoulders and smiled. “Well, we did it, why don’t we go enjoy the fruits of our labour?” Darius turned towards him, his smirking face invading Therion’s personal space. “I’d like that, mate,” he replied with a friendly slap to the back. They scooped up some dirt and tossed it onto the fire to snuff it out. It was off to the tavern with them.

Upon exit, Darius grasped Therion’s arm and smiled gently at him. It wasn’t out of the ordinary that he would be so cheerful after such a successful undertaking, but he felt something unusual tonight. Perhaps he’d still been overrun by the adrenaline rush he felt when he’d illicitly entered a large manor. They walked through the dilapidated streets of the commoner’s district, their faces uncovered so as to not arouse suspicion. Therion’s silvery hair reflected the flickering orange light of the torches illuminating the alleys they paced through. Soon enough, the sound of labourer’s song that had once echoed in the distance was found at the source, a group of miners who’d just left work had already gotten busy with their favourite hobby.

The underbelly of this town was well known to them, as of course, they comprised it. As a matter of fact, several people in the tavern knew who they were as they walked in. And those people were much wiser than to reveal they knew anything about anyone. This is how you stay in business, and how you become part of the intricate web of information networks that run throughout the land. Paying no mind to any of the glances in their direction, the two sauntered over to the counter and sat on the barstools.

The tavern keeper, who’d at first feigned ignorance (for there might be watchmen about) when he saw them walk in, smiled and nodded as Darius sat himself down. “It’s good to see ya, Darius. I suppose you mighta half-inched anything of note?” he asked with a coy smile. Darius nodded. “For sure, mate, I’ve got a fine bottle o’ scotch right here.” From under his cuirass he materialized a small pocket watch, it was nothing overly intricate, but had been exactly what the keeper needed. Gratefully, the keeper nodded and slipped the watch under the table. “It’s all on the house tonight. Enjoy yerselves.” With a slow nod, he got back to cleaning off the stein in his hand.

Surely enough, they took the tavern keeper’s generosity far. Therion began by ordering them both a pint of ale. “We’ve done well, eh?” he asks, knowing already what the answer will be, but wanting to hear it anyway. “You’re a bloody genius!” Darius roared, smacking his comrade on the back jovially. Therion’s cheeks warmed from the praise, an odd emotion clamoring to the surface. He promptly shoved it away.

The atmosphere was thick with the smell of drink and smoke, the revelry of Friday’s evening putting a grin on even the weariest of miners. Everyone was here to indulge in the simplest pleasures, beer, cigars, banter, and fighting, one could only imagine that the pressure of the backbreaking work week may only be relieved by all of this. Therion took a last gulp, leaving naught but the froth of his ale left. “Damn, you’re quick ain’t ya? Let’s race this time then,” Darius bellowed, sounding almost jealous of Therion’s drinking skills. Therion chuckled mischievously. “You’re on,” he replied with a combative glare.

Darius finished the rest of his ale and promptly beckoned the tavern keeper to refill their drinks. Grabbing the handles of their mugs, they counted to three and began their competition. Darius tried his best, but within a few seconds he’d already started choking, the sheer volume too much for him to handle. He set down the mug and looked defeatedly at his partner. Meanwhile, Therion was already nearly halfway done his drink, still gulping more down effortlessly. Taking a break, he placed his mug down, comparing how much he’d drank to his rival.

“You gotta try harder next time,” Therion taunted.

“Well, you’ve got a skill for taking things down your throat, don’t ya?” Darius just pointed out, sounding amused.

Therion’s face flushed with embarrassment. “Fuck you,” he replied emphatically.

“Is what you’d be able to do if I were a fruit like you,” Darius snapped, cackling at his own joke as if he were the wittiest man alive.

“Are ya gonna finish that drink, **clown**?” Therion ignored Darius' attempts at banter, hiding his irritation through a nonchalant act. Darius answered implicitly by taking a swig of ale. Therion felt oddly vulnerable now, disregarding his thirst to scout the immediate area. Nothing out of the ordinary was going on in the tavern, in fact, one might say it was too ordinary. A group of inebriated miners erupting in laughter every few seconds, telling stories about their nagging wives. Two ladies of the night courting johns with their revealing clothing and telltale red ribbons tied around their wrists. A young man and his lover unabashedly making out in the corner, acting as if they were the only ones in the building. “No one suspicious…” Therion muttered under his breath.

Darius noticed his muttering and scowled. “What’s the matter, you prat?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern.

“It’s nothing, I was just surveying, don’t worry,” Therion assured.

Darius leaned in to Therion, so closely their noses nearly touched. “Don’t be worrying me like that, mate.” He placed his hand on Therion’s thigh and squeezed roughly. Therion was stupefied. His mind racing, he thought of myriad reasons to explain why Darius placed his hand on his thigh, hoping he’d remove it before his blushing face betrayed him. Yet he was rarely a man of fortune, and Darius only inched his hand up higher. Therion shot him a nervous look, hoping that he’d catch on and move his hand. Darius, seemingly ignorant of his effect on Therion, turned to start talking about some new plan to rob a local bookmaker he was working on. All of this information was only going through one ear and out the other for Therion, feeling blood beginning to rush toward… a _certain_ area of his body. Both of their trains of thought were interrupted by an urgent gesture from the tavern keeper, which they knew meant only one thing. **Guards**. Within an instant, they cloaked themselves, and sprinted over to the back exit, abandoning the warmth of the tavern for freedom’s sake. 

The evening had given way to the black cloak of night and the stars glimmered in its embrace like quartz in fresh asphalt. Leaving the racket of the drunks and miners and drunken miners behind them, they walked into the darkness once more. Tonight, Therion felt something different. He had glimpsed something odd in his partner’s eyes, something lascivious, and perhaps dangerously so. His mind raced, thinking about how Darius had grabbed his thigh earlier. What could it have meant? Would he be naïve to conclude it was nothing but an accident? If there were anything he felt certain of in that moment, it was that they had to find shelter, a flurry of raindrops serving as a warning of what was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be publishing more at a later date. Hope you enjoy this shit that I write at 3am in a nearly delirious state of sleep deprivation. And yes, I did name this fanfic after a She Wants Revenge song.


	2. Legend Of The Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sucking cock in a dingy hotel room, AKA, the most important part of the hero's journey.

Though there were guards in the tavern, it seemed to the two thieves that they were the only ones around. Of course, one can never be too cautious, and staying wasn’t worth the possibility of being apprehended. Especially considering how boisterous Darius gets if he drinks too much. Covering the lower halves of their faces with their cloaks, Therion and Darius went in search of a place to stay for the night.

“Do you think we should go back to that cave?” Therion surmised that it might not have been discovered.

“What are ya, some sorta donkey? We can’t fuckin’ go back there!” Darius bellowed.

Therion looked down and nodded, admitting to himself that the idea was rather foolish. It was miles away, and it was bound to have guards investigating the area. They had to get away from town.

The glow of torches along the streets provided the only light guiding their path, as neither of them had a lantern. Slowly and with caution, they walked towards the outskirts, listening attentively to detect the characteristic rustling of a guard’s chainmail.

Suddenly, Therion raised up his arm, stopping Darius in his tracks. “You hear that…?” he whispered.

Darius pushed away his arm and grabbed a sack tied to Therion’s belt, shaking it slightly. Coins.

“My bad,” Therion rubbed his forehead, indicating his forgetfulness.

“You idiot, that’s not even what mail sounds like!” Darius replied, eager to assert his honed guard-detection skills.

The pattering of raindrops soon graduated to a thunderstorm, the pouring rain drenching the cloaks the men wore, black fabric sticking to their skin. A few torches were put out, and along with the noise and haze of the rain, they were essentially invisible. Stepping silently through the cobblestone paths leading out of the city, Darius saw someone and pulled Therion by the arm to lead him. They turned into a small, unlit alley, and met a down-and-out sheltering himself under the eave of a shack. Commoners and nobles alike are unaware of this fact, but the beggars and homeless are the eyes and ears of thieves. For a bit of change, they’ll gladly impart valuable information on most anything.

Therion slipped a few coin from the bag on his waist and tipped the grey-bearded man. “For a roof tonight. Could ya tell us where a copper-free inn might be?”

The man grabbed the money and hid it away under his clothes. He then beckoned Therion to approach, and whispered silently: “Walk five hundred yards northward and turn right, it’ll be near a statue of a lion’s head.” Therion patted the man on the back and thanked him. Yawning loudly, Darius continued his way walking through the alley, Therion hurrying to catch up. “Wait!” he exclaimed, “Let’s go to that inn.”

It was rather late now, and Darius was running out of patience. “Where the fuck else would I be goin’?” he muttered with irritation. He wanted a comfortable and warm bed, safe from the elements. Determined to find a place to rest, he quickened his walking pace to a light jog, forcing Therion to do the same. Soon enough, they’d arrived at the inn the man described, the stone head of a tiger that must have once been part of a statue lying in a patch of dirt nearby. “Well, I suppose he wasn’t entirely wrong,” Therion joked at the sight of the defaced sculpture.

The inn was nothing to write home about. It was rather small with vines growing through the painted yellow wood, a sign hanging flimsily near the entrance. Of course, the two of them had no right to be discerning customers, the rain had started soaking through their cloaks and was soon going to wet the clothes underneath. Darius opened the door up for Therion to let him walk in. “Ladies first!” He teased, sniggering at his own joke. Therion elbowed him in the rib and scoffed.

The innkeeper was a short, grumpy looking man wearing a pair of round glasses. He was looking down at a ledger with a quill in hand, presumably balancing the books. “Room for two?” he asked, barely looking up from the business he was attending to. Therion took over the conversation, scoffing quietly to himself as his partner casually scanned the room for valuable objects.

“Yessir. Name your price.” Therion responded, trying his best to seem respectable.

“220 leaves. Together or separate?” the innkeeper questioned innocuously.

Therion’s eyebrows raised in confusion. “S-sorry, what?”

“Beds.” He replied nonchalantly.

“Oh. Uh, separate, please.” Therion opened the bag of coin and collected what he needed to pay for the room. The man brusquely took the money and counted it slowly. Meanwhile, Darius found something of interest in the corner of the room. It was a small flask of some odd white jelly. Thinking it might be worth something, he slipped it in into his pocket. His survey was interrupted by a beckoning Therion, and he quit his search to walk with him to the room. The inn was humble, decorated with simple brocades and geometric tapestries, the wooden floor creaking under the men’s feet.

“Here we are.” Therion said, opening up their booked room.

Safe at last, the two men removed their shoes and outerwear, getting themselves ready for a night’s rest. Therion took off his poncho and hung it on the back of a chair, hiding the sack of coins underneath it. Underneath, he had on a white shirt with most of the buttons unfastened, exposing his lean chest which bore the scars of past fights. Meanwhile, Darius was trying and failing to take off his cuirass. He hadn’t had much to drink, he was barely even tipsy, although the combined effect of alcohol and fatigue did a number on his fine motor skills.

“Hey, Therion, gimme a hand, will ya?” he requested, still fumbling at a buckle. Therion obliged, walking over to help his partner out of his predicament. With the now loosened straps, Darius easily slipped off the leather cuirass, the valuables hidden inside jingling quietly as he placed it on top of a table. Satisfied, he sauntered toward the bed, sitting down on it and taking off his undershirt. Therion couldn’t help but peek at Darius while he was unaware, taking in the sight of his shirtless body. A rush of guilt came over him, and he turned to look the other way.

“Well, we best be getting to sleep then,” Therion remarked, getting ready to crawl into his bed.

“Wait now, it’s still too early for that, mate! Are ya really that tired?” Darius protested.

“Not exactly, but what else is there to do?”

“Well, I suppose you’re right. Hadn’t it been for those godsdamned guards, we coulda gotten those two lovely whores to accompany us tonight, eh?”

Therion didn’t feel very interested in such a thing, but to keep up pretenses, he gave Darius a chuckle and nod.

“Well, it’s not like I’d even need one, with a partner that can chug ale down his throat like that…” Darius said in jest, apparently not willing to give up teasing Therion for his earlier irritation at the joke.

“Man, fuck you. What does drinking ale have to do with that sort of thing anyways?”

Darius erupted in a hearty laugh. “It’s got everything to do with it, you idiot!”

At this point, Therion was only confused, as Darius seemed to be in on a joke he wasn’t aware of. As much as he tried to hide it, Darius picked up on his befuddlement.

“Of course, I’m just takin’ the piss lad. Unless…” Darius petered off.

“Unless what?”

“…Why don’t you try doing it?” Darius accented the question with childish giggling, in an attempt to conceal his intentions behind the guise of a joke.

“Doing what?” Therion had a feeling he knew what he was talking about, but hesitated to jump to any conclusions.

“Suck me off.” Darius replied intensely.

Therion couldn’t reply. He sat there for a few seconds, jaw agape, waiting for Darius to say something else.

“Are ya daft? You heard me!” Darius seemed a bit insulted by his silence.

“Are… Are you joking?” Therion asked, feeling puzzled by this request.

The two stared at each other for a short moment, and Darius shook his head slowly. Therion looked down at the ground, ashamed that not only was he being asked such a thing, but that he actually wanted to do it.

Wordlessly, Darius untied the front of his trousers, looking at Therion with intent. He stood up, his pants falling slightly, and stepped closer to Therion quietly. Therion looked up at him from his seated position, trying to get a sense for what he wanted.

Darius ran his hand down Therion’s face, tilting his jaw up to look into his eyes. Therion noted that it was an oddly tender gesture for a brutish, crude man like him. Hesitantly, he leaned forward, eye-level with… The rational part of his mind tried to remind him of what he was doing. The rest of him didn’t care. He reached up his hand and ran it along the outline of Darius’ cock, gauging his reaction. Darius closed his eyes, and let out a huff from his nostrils. It seemed like he really wanted this, maybe he wasn’t joking. Therion’s apprehension quickly began fading. He pulled Darius’ trousers down further, exposing his partner.

His eyes widened at the sight. He’d seen it before when they visited public baths or springs and the like, but in this context, it seemed so different. So… enticing. He heard a deep chuckle coming from Darius and looked up.

“Impressive, ain’t it?” Darius bragged. He wasn’t wrong. Therion grabbed it in one hand, and ran his tongue along the tip, still uncertain about the situation. Darius ran his fingers in Therion’s hair, gripping some of it to lightly press his face forward. Therion took more into his mouth, bobbing his head along the top half slowly.

“You can stop the shy shit, I know ya done this before Therion!” Darius grew annoyed at his slow pace. As ashamed as Therion was to admit it, Darius was entirely right. He had in fact done this before, many times in fact, but not with anyone he was particularly attached to. It was a baker here, a sailor there, a touch-starved guardsman, maybe a fling with another heart-hiding man, for reasons as varied as momentary companionship, avoiding a jail sentence, or just wanting to put food on the table. Nothing like this. A partner and friend he’d been around for years, his single most long-lasting relationship. And here he was, with that friend’s cock in his mouth. The shame might’ve just stopped him in his tracks right there if he wasn’t already so far along.

He decided to put his abilities to use and took as much of Darius’ cock in as he could, taking it in almost to the base. He wrapped his lips around it, sucking to create suction in his mouth. It seemed it was working, as he could feel Darius hardening in his mouth, making it slightly harder to keep going.

“Damn… I knew you were hidin’ shit from me, but I didn’t know you were this good,” Darius whispered through shaky breaths.

Therion couldn’t help but feel giddy at the compliment. With his now nearly entirely faded judgement, he had to confront something he’d been hiding within for so long. He was attracted to Darius. Every day, he caught himself lingering too long on him, noticing the flexing of his muscles, the bulge in his pants, his cocky smirks, the way he laughed at his own dumb jokes. Scratch that. Not just attracted, but he wanted him. He wanted to be taken by him, be desired by him.

With newfound zeal, he opened his jaw as wide as it could get. He took the entire length into his mouth, gagging slightly as it nearly hit the back of his throat. Darius threw his head back, relishing the warmth and wetness of Therion’s mouth, losing himself in the pleasure. Therion grabbed the base of Darius’ cock, stroking to the rhythm of his head’s movement along it. He pulled his head back and spat on it to lubricate it further, using both hands to massage the shaft. He looked up at Darius, their eyes locking on as Therion stroked and squeezed his cock. While staring directly at Darius, he took the length back in his mouth, humming softly as he engulfed it.

Without consciously realizing it, Darius had started thrusting into his partner’s throat. He felt something mounting in him, an odd burning desire for Therion rising to the surface. “Feels good...,” he praised Therion, deep moans escaping his lips. The approval made Therion’s pants tighten, his arousal begging to be attended. He took a quick break from his current task to unlace his trousers, pulling them down to bare his cock. Darius looked down at him, and chuckled when he noticed how hard he’d gotten.

“So suckin’ my cocks got that sort of effect on ya…?” Darius leered smugly. “I oughta do this to ya more often then.”

“Shut up.” Therion replied coldly, trying as hard as he could to keep the pretense that he was only doing this to help Darius.

“I think you’ll be the one doin’ that.” Darius replied, taking Therion’s face in both his hands and shoving it between his legs.

“Hey!” Therion protested as his face was being rubbed against Darius’ cock.

“Shut up and open your damn mouth, ya daft cunt.” Darius ordered.

Therion made the best pouting face he could muster and opened his jaw wide, as to welcome the onslaught that was soon to follow. Sure enough, Darius slid his cock back into Therion’s mouth, and Therion started sucking again, creating a vacuum of pressure around it. Darius groaned at the sight, watching his friend suck him felt so wrong, but it was so good.

“Had I known you were such a fag, I woulda asked ya to do this earlier…” Darius remarked, amused with how much Therion seemed to be enjoying the ordeal.

Therion stopped, letting Darius’ dick pop out of his mouth. “Doesn’t liking this sort of implicate you, Darius? I mean… I’m a guy.” he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“It don’t implicate me one bit! I’m not the one with manhood in my mouth.” Darius asserted, shoving his partner’s head back down onto his cock.

In protest, Therion grit his teeth slightly, the incisors lightly scraping against the sensitive tissue.

“Don’t fuckin’ use your teeth!” Darius howled and shoved Therion’s head against his hips. The motion forced his mouth open to let Darius’ cock fill it. Darius held him down there for a few seconds then pulled his head off, causing him to gasp for air as he resurfaced. He had to admit, it was weird seeing Darius so worked up like this. However, he felt no desire to stop. Something deep down inside him sort of enjoyed it.

He opened his mouth again, wider this time, being sure to cover his teeth with his lips. He had no idea why he was obeying like this. Darius seemed to grow bored with his frankly mediocre talents at sucking dick. He grabbed his head from the back and shoved it down further onto his cock. Therion started gagging and saliva began to leak from the corners of his mouth. The sight of his friend struggling to breathe as he took it all in ignited some primal urge lying dormant within Darius.

He could no longer feign patience. With a swift motion, he grabbed onto the back of Therion’s head and began thrusting into his mouth violently. He wanted to go deeper still, so deep that he could just suffocate him. Therion felt no longer so receptive to this as his friend’s cock started hitting the back of his throat, causing him to retch and his eyes to tear up. Saliva began leaking down his neck and under his shirt.

“You like that, dontcha?” Darius goaded. Therion just scowled in response. “Oh sorry, what was that? Couldn’t hear ya with my cock down your throat.” Darius taunted him, again, noticing how his earlier insults had caused Therion’s dick to twitch. He’d never seen anyone have a positive reaction to being berated like that.

Therion grabbed his cock and started stroking himself, but was immediately interrupted by Darius who swatted his hand off. Instead, Darius took hold of it, roughly massaging it for him. Using his now freed hand, Therion ran his hands along Darius’ body, feeling and caressing his chest and stomach before leading around to his ass, where he pushed Darius deeper into his mouth.

Darius grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled Therion off his cock, taking a second to admire the sight of him teary-eyed and covered in spit. Unexpectedly for Therion, Darius pushed him further onto the bed, causing him to lay on it horizontally. Without a moment’s notice, Darius climbed on top of him on all fours. They stayed there for a few seconds, looking into each other’s eyes, trying to discern what the other one wanted.

Therion reached his arms around Darius’ back, pulling him in closer so their chests were pressed against one another. The sudden display of passion enticed Darius into drawing their faces nearer, and Therion felt a rush of emotion overtake him. He didn’t just want to fuck Darius… he wanted to belong to him. He ran his hand along his face and pulled him in. Darius didn’t protest.

Their lips closed in and they kissed for the first time. It was an intoxicating experience, both men feeling lightheaded at the sensation. At first, Darius had resolved to not allow himself to do such a thing. It was too late now. Yet he realized he prohibited himself only out fear. Why should he hold back anymore? He pulled out of the kiss and smiled down. Therion’s hair stuck to his forehead from sweat, and he felt an odd pang in his heart. This time, Darius initiated the kiss. Reaching his head down, he pressed his body’s weight into the smaller man’s, pinning him to the bed. He took Therion’s face into his hands and opened his mouth, letting his tongue slip in. Therion looked up at him, his surprise widening those emerald green eyes. He’d been kissed before, but never like this. It felt so wrong, so dirty, to be doing all of this with his friend. His partner… and maybe onwards not only in crime. He let Darius explore his mouth, surrendering to his display of dominance and reciprocating with his own, admittedly inexperienced, attempt at returning the favour.

Darius pulled away from the kiss, letting a string of spit form between their mouths. He then rose to straddle Therion’s waist. Darius squeezed Therion’s shoulders, and from there, dragged his hands across his chest to his shirt, which was yet to be fully unbuttoned. He clumsily unfastened a button, Therion joining in by unbuttoning the rest, and getting up to take his shirt off. They were now both sitting criss-crossed on the bed, facing each other, without shirts on. Seeing Therion in this state awakened something within him. He grabbed Therion’s legs in each hand, separating them so he was sitting up, his ass more exposed. He inched closer, placing himself in the empty space between Therion’s thighs.

“Well…” Darius said, looking Therion straight in the eyes.

Therion turned his head away, trying not to meet his gaze. “Well, what?”

“There’s somethin’ I wanna ask ya.”

“Shoot.”

“Are you… a virgin?” Darius gripped both of Therion’s knees as he asked.

Therion couldn’t hide his shock at the question, and what it might imply.

“I-I…”

“Judgin’ by your reaction, I think I know.”

He just slowly nodded in response. It was true, Therion had liaisons before, but none of them had ever escalated beyond fooling around and the occasional blowjob. It wasn’t necessarily that he was opposed to it, the opportunity simply never arose.

Therion lowered his gaze, his apprehension and excitement tugging at opposite ends of him, threatening to tear him apart. He wanted Darius but he didn’t want to admit it, he didn’t want to initiate it. Deep down, he worried that he would permanently ruin their friendship if he enjoyed it too much. A blowjob was one thing, it would be easy to write it off as a simple service or experiment. But letting Darius take his virginity, was a whole other thing. He’d always heard that your first time should be something special, something you do with someone you’re in love with. And he always told himself he would **never** fall in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's that. I sort of left this on a cliffhanger because I'm still working on rewriting the actual sex scene. I realized I wanted to change the structure of this fanfic (and that it's actually a lot longer than it has any merit being).
> 
> So therefore this chapter ends with the end of the blowjob. I feel almost guilty because I'm going to emotionally crush Therion by the end of this fic.


	3. A Droplet Of Ichor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Therion and Darius give in to their desires and have sex. They've just changed their relationship forever. Will they come to regret it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been getting some good feedback on this fanfic so far, which I'm very glad about considering that this is a niche ship in a relatively niche game. I really appreciate the kudos and positive comments. If you like what I've been writing, don't hesitate to let me know with a kudos and/or comment. It makes me write at least 10% quicker.

Here they were, two friends, staring at each other in the silence of a muggy summer evening. There were few sounds in their small room, only the pattering of rain on the roof, and their laboured breaths. It seemed that Darius’ patience was running low. He bent down and kissed Therion again, taking advantage of Therion’s distracted state to grab his legs and fold them over toward his head. He’d gotten him into the missionary position, and shifted his pelvis closer to press his hips against Therion’s ass.

“W-What are you doing?” Therion asked.

Darius just ignored him and materialized a small flask of a white, jelly-like substance from a pocket in his trousers. He held it in front of Therion’s face and smirked, trying to imply something that was already fairly obvious. Internally, he praised himself for having the foresight to steal it. The implication caused Therion to blush profusely, and he covered his face up with his hands. He didn’t mean to be acting like such a shrinking violet, but he couldn’t help it. The combined embarrassment and arousal was enough to make him want to crawl away and hide under the sheets. But Darius didn’t seem to catch on, and Therion soon felt something trying to tug his pants off.

“Hey, w-wait…” Therion stuttered. Darius just gave him a discordant look. “I mean… Darius… do you really want to do this?”

Darius closed his eyes and sighed. “You fuckin’ idiot. I’ve been wantin’ to do this for years.”

At those words, Therion felt a pang of regret. Why did they both hesitate for so long, then? He thought hard about what this meant. He was about to give his virginity to his friend, but he’d always been taught that it wasn’t a trivial matter. That… he’d always be bound to the person who took his purity.

“Do it, then.” Therion replied, with his closest possible approximation of his classic self-assured tone, considering the circumstances.

Darius decided to waste no time, he grabbed Therion’s pants and uncovered his ass, the sensitive skin’s sudden contact with the air making Therion shiver slightly. He opened up the vial of gel and dipped two fingers into it, swirling them around to envelop them fully with the stuff inside. His other hand spread apart Therion’s ass and he slowly shoved a finger into his hole, watching how he winced in response to the pressure. Seeing that he was already accepting the first finger rather easily, Darius added a second one, watching as he stretched his partner. Therion whimpered in pain but dared not to be any louder, lest they be discovered.

“U-ugh…” Therion whispered as he was being stretched open. “Is it supposed to hurt this badly?”

“I’m actually goin’ easy on ya…” Darius lied through his teeth. He could easily dip his fingers into that gel again and make the experience easier on his poor Therion. But deep down, he wanted to make this hard for him. He wanted to dominate him, to fuck him so hard he could do nothing more but whimper and moan. He stuck his fingers in him deeper still, curling his fingers upwards to rub against the walls of Therion’s hole.

Therion moaned quietly, an oddly overwhelming feeling rushing through his nerves, as if Darius was hitting some sensitive spot inside of him. He didn’t know what it was, but it felt good. It seemed Darius realized that it did because he quickened his pace, fucking him with his fingers.

“You’re changing, Therion.” Darius remarked in response to Therion’s reaction, watching as the dignity his partner normally carried himself with slowly melted away. But Therion couldn’t even respond, focusing on the obtrusion inside him. He tried to spread his legs further apart, to make it easier on himself, but his attempt was hindered by his pants, bunched up around his knees and binding him.

Darius felt that he had sufficiently prepared Therion, and got ready for the next step. He pressed himself against the younger man’s entrance. With a short sigh, he pushed in, penetrating the unyielding, virginal space. He found it oddly welcoming, as he was surrounded by a wet and tight warmth, like this man was made for his cock. Looking down on Therion, he grabbed his wrists, pinning him down against the bed, and started thrusting slowly.

“F-fuck… please… slow down.” Therion pleaded, the shakiness in his voice betraying his sexual innocence. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for him, this only motivated Darius to push in further, burying himself deeper inside his partner. He pressed his large, more muscular body into Therion to try and engulf himself in the pleasure. Breathing heavily into his ear, he whispered “You’ve always fucking wanted this, didn’t you?”

As usual, his instincts were right. Therion really did want this, to be taken and dominated by him, to surrender his autonomy and dignity and lay there and get fucked and used by him. Therion shuddered at those thoughts and the reasoned part of his mind clashed with the onslaught of his more salacious feelings. But at his core… he really wanted to give in. And so he did, letting his muscles relax, feeling the heat of his body rise as Darius had his way with him. Oddly enough, Darius was looking him in the eyes, almost like how a considerate boyfriend would his virginal lover.

Watching the way Therion struggled to take him, the moans and winces that escaped his partners mouth as he thrusted deeper and deeper was beginning to drive Darius insane. He could no longer feign modesty. Darius grabbed his hips and pounded away at his ass, the slapping of skin against skin almost being loud enough to give them away. He grabbed Therion’s legs and and spread them apart further, exposing his cock which was now fully erect, helplessly turgid and untouched. The sight only furthered Darius’ gratification. He grabbed Therion’s swollen cock and squeezed it, stroking it up and down roughly.

“You like this don’t ya?” Darius asked with a smug laugh.

“…” Therion didn’t respond, focusing too intently on his arousal.

Darius felt slighted by Therion’s lack of reaction. Deciding he wanted to get a rise out of him, he wrapped his other hand around Therion’s neck and squeezed his jugular veins. Despite his initial shock, Therion found that he was enjoying this a little _too_ much. The pain of having his oxygen restricted soon mixed in with the pleasurable senses of Darius fucking him and crushing his neck with his strong hands. He felt guilty for enjoying it, but that guilt just made him harder.

“You want me,” Darius whispered into his makeshift lover’s ear as he pressed his hips against him.

Those words stung for Therion, and he shut his eyes tightly, trying to avoid confronting the fact that he always had.

“Say it.” Darius commanded.

“I—” Therion’s sentence was cut short by a particularly forceful thrust that made him gasp.

“Admit it, Therion.”

“I-I want you, Darius!” Therion cried out, a wave of shame overwhelming him emotionally.

Hearing those words come from Therion’s mouth just drove Darius crazy. He felt the primal urge to dominate take over. He grabbed both of Therion’s hands and held his wrists as he quickened his pace, pounding uncontrollably into him. Therion could do nothing but whimper. He had no idea Darius had this in him. That his desire was festering just underneath that cold exterior, ready to come out from the shadows and turn him into prey. He felt something resembling resentment rise to the surface, that he had wanted him for so long, with no inkling that he also desired him in this way. If only he’d done this sooner.

Therion felt his sanity waning. He had no idea how long they’d been at it, how long he’d felt this way, how many more times he’d be willing to do this. But not knowing any of that shit made it feel even better. He wrapped his arms around Darius and hugged him as he fucked him deeper, digging his nails into Darius’ muscular back.

It had become clear to them both at this point that they wanted this. There was no denying it, there would be no excuses or dancing around it later. Darius felt a fire engulf him, it was sick and hot and it incinerated any of his remaining rationality. He pulled out to spread Therion wide open, taking in the view, how the fat in his thighs rounded out their shape, how his cock was a shade of pink darker than the surrounding pale untouched skin, how his asshole had been stretched by his efforts. He wanted to devour him whole, to tear him apart from the inside. Therion could only look upon him in a daze of passion and lust.

Darius shoved his cock all the way back in and began thrusting mercilessly. They locked gazes again and Therion pressed his hips back up against him, in conjunction with his strokes. Darius is working on instinct alone now, mindlessly pounding away at the delicate flesh underneath him. The pained yelps coming from Therion don’t even register. He leans down and kisses him again, sucking his tongue into his mouth, mirroring the rhythm of his increasingly rapid thrusts.

Therion reaches to touch his face gently. “Please…” he begins but his sentence is interrupted again by a few stronger thrusts, Darius intentionally trying to get him to shut up.

“Darius… I—” Therion starts again, but Darius shushes him with his index finger. He decides he doesn’t want Therion to say anything, doesn’t want to distract him from what he’s doing.

He sinks into Therion, using his body’s weight to prevent him from shifting away from the onslaught, feeling his cock getting squeezed and milked to orgasm by his partner’s asshole. Feeling himself approaching his climax, Darius starts pounding Therion even harder, rubbing against his prostate, making his ass jiggle from the force, stretching him open even further. Therion strokes himself rapidly, finishing himself off as ropes of cum shoot across his stomach. Their night together crescendos as Darius reaches orgasm, Therion wraps his legs around him, letting himself be filled with cum. Darius holds himself steady inside his partner just a while longer, letting the peak roll through their bodies.

He pulls out, leaving a sweaty, half-naked, cum-filled Therion lying haplessly on the bed. They stay there for what feels like ten hours, just staring at each other. A rush of embarrassment and shame overwhelms Darius. He wasn’t gay, he was sure of that. He was only into women. But he just fucked a man, his friend no less. What was wrong with him? Why did he like it so much? He needed to reassure himself he wasn’t gay…

“Hey… Darius.” Therion muttered quietly, watching as Darius just slinks away, towel in hand, to wash himself off. He decides to do the same, wrapping himself in a towel, walking alongside Darius to the inn’s spring.

Therion, descending from the rollercoaster he’d just experienced, came to a realization. He’d just had sex with his best friend. He gave his virginity to Darius. A cacophony of emotions rushed through him, raging through his nervous system, immersing his body in a surge of opposing yet equal forces. The fear and desire collided into each other and canceled each other out like waves in the ocean. He felt sore, the adrenaline wearing off and letting him feel where Darius had fucked him. Therion just wished he weren’t... how he was.

Darius wrapped himself in his towel and walked out to the spring, contemplating what had just occurred. Regret was only a fleeting moment, as he quickly realized what this all meant. He respected and even idolized Therion. They’d known each other since they were twelve, and fought against the rest of the world together. He was stoic, skilled, and more intelligent than him. And like a cruel child pulling off a butterfly’s wings, he deflowered him in the heat of passion. He fucked the man he respected the most in his life up the ass and came inside of him. And it was all his doing, he corrupted him, made him lose his stupid cold façade for once. At this realization, a grin crept along his face.

He wanted to have him not for simple carnal desires, although that was the impression he gave… Something deeper within him wanted not only temporary relief from physical loneliness, but something almost sickening. He felt nearly evil for even admitting it to himself. He saw the way Therion looked at him, how despite all his perceived status and power, he could simply crumble into a needy animal desperate for physical affection. He’d tasted blood, he’d opened a new door. The newfound knowledge that he could totally and utterly dominate Therion felt like he’d tasted a droplet of ichor, and he wouldn’t be satisfied until he had more.

It made him feel powerful. Ultimately, that was all he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was fun. The next chapter is not gonna be uploaded as quickly because I have real life shit to deal with, so don't expect it for another week or so. I have to travel somewhere, I have a research paper to work on, and I have paperwork to file. Fun!


	4. Glow Worm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Therion and Darius share some heartfelt moments together. It's about as romantic as two emotionally stunted criminals with unaddressed internalized homophobia can get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On my last chapter I said to not expect another chapter for a week. Well, I suppose I was wrong, I typed up this chapter at 1am tonight because I just felt like writing something. It's kind of gloomy, and there's no sex in this one so you can skip it if you're just a horny weirdo. I will still likely be slowing down how much I write so don't disregard the notes on the last chapter.
> 
> If you don't know what a glow worm is, it's just bioluminescent firefly larvae. My original inspiration for referring to the creature comes from this song, just give it a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoWomWc_tJk

The rain that had been pouring over the land was now nothing more than a fine mist. Darius stepped out into the bathing area, which was empty owing to the late hours of the night. The sun’s rise was several hours away, leaving the two of them in near total darkness, save for a set of flickering lanterns placed around the water. There were a few bundles of firewood and char-cloth underneath a nearby table, as well as some fire strikers, presumably as a courtesy for guests to stoke the fires themselves after-hours. Darius grabbed some and began rekindling the flames, improving their range of vision. Therion now noticed a fire pit near the spring that had been extinguished by the rain. He took it upon himself to light it, first discarding the wood that had been dampened. He arranged a few logs into a pile and spread the char-cloth across it. With a fire striker in hand, he set the cloth alight, and soon enough the wood caught flame as well.

The fire now burned bright enough to illuminate the bathing area, painting Darius and Therion’s faces with a warm orange glow. They still hadn’t spoken a word to each other, not even a look of acknowledgement. Therion didn’t know what to do now. He’d always learned that the aftermath of a defloration was meant to be mellow and romantic, where lovers held each other close and whispered sweet nothings as they fell into a serene sleep. But here he was, filthy with cum and gel leaking out of him, standing outside half-naked in the middle of the night, without so much as a glance from the man he’d just been intimate with.

“Darius.” he uttered harshly, as if he were cursing the name itself.

His jarring tone finally got Darius to snap his head towards him. His expression was… vulnerable, almost like a deer caught in a hunter’s gaze. Despite his prior indignation, he felt sympathy for Darius, as he recognized what he might have been feeling. Shame. An emotion that Therion was not only accustomed to, he had all but befriended it in its myriad visits to his nightmares.

Darius slipped the towel off his waist, gathering water with a bucket to wash himself off before stepping into the spring. Therion filled a bucket of his own, and sat himself down next to it. He had to… clean himself out. The fact that he had to do it embarrassed him, but he swallowed his pride and spread his legs apart slightly. He cupped his hands together and scooped some water into his hands, quickly splashing it across the area before it could drip out from them. Darius noticed what he was doing, and stepped closer, kneeling down in front of him.

“Let me help…” Darius whispered. He wet his hands and started washing his semen off of Therion’s ass and thighs, gently rubbing the area to dilute the mess he had made. Therion looked off into the distance, trying to distract himself from the fact that he was being touched in such a sensitive area. He felt a sudden jolt of pain and yelped instinctually, then checked to see what was happening. Darius was cleaning him out, and he felt mortified as he watched cum leak from him. It seemed as conflicting thoughts were racing in Darius’ head, contemplating the aftermath of what he’d done with an odd look that he was clearly struggling to suppress.

Now that they were both cleaned off, it was time to step into the water. Darius was the first in, displacing the water slightly at his entrance. He adjusted himself to the water’s hotter temperature, and turned around to grin at his partner. Therion was preparing to follow him in, dipping his foot in slowly to get it used to the heat. Darius reached out and held his hand, guiding him tenderly into the water. The water splashed around mildly as he stepped in. At this point, Therion didn’t even know what to make of Darius’ behaviour. He was ignoring him one second and holding hands with him the next. He approached him, and they waded through the water to sit on an underwater bench of rocks.

“Well…” Therion trailed off.

“If ya want answers, I’ve got none for ya, mate.” Darius replied matter-of-factly.

It wasn’t exactly satisfying to hear, but it made sense. He didn’t really know what to say either. A part of him had hoped that this meant they were together now, and they could just be something more. He had a lot of growing up to do now, as that vision was exposed for the fairy tale it really was. Darius wasn’t exactly a romantic type, and judging by the way he was behaving, there was more than just his personality holding him back.

“I just want to talk to you about this, Darius. I mean…”

“There ain’t nothin’ to say.”

“You just took my virginity. You owe me _something_ ,” he insisted with a tremble in his voice.

Darius looked down and sighed, a defeated expression tarnishing his normally proud face.

“…’m sorry. Dunno what came over me.”

Therion wanted to yell at him right there, so loudly that he’d wake everyone in the damn inn. The way Darius worded it, would make it seem as if he’d only fucked him through some absurd comedy of errors. They both knew they wanted it. Therion just felt it, how Darius’ burning desire had turned physical, how he’d kissed him and had sex with him. And now, to pretend it was just a mistake?

“Darius…” Therion spoke his name and leaned his head against his shoulder. They sat there, staring at the campfire together, the roaring flames decorating their faces with harsh shadows and bright oranges.

“Ain’t the fire beautiful… Therion? Like it could hypnotize ya at any moment...”

The fire danced gracefully in front of them, and Therion stared intensely into its blue core, trying to construct a narrative out of the seemingly random flickering of the flames. He imagined an angel trying and failing to earn his wings, the orange tongues representing a growing feather that would soon disintegrate once again into nothingness. The angel would try and try as he might to take to the air, but his every attempt would end in failure.

His train of thought was interrupted by Darius wrapping his arm around his shoulder, pulling him in closer. He was now cuddled up next to his partner, feeling his warmth, wishing this moment would last forever. But it wouldn’t and he knew it wouldn’t and he felt stupid for even thinking that would be the case. Or maybe he was wrong and he actually could make something of this, could thaw Darius' icy exterior and reveal his heart.

“Ya ever think ‘bout what’s up in the stars?” Darius pondered.

“A whole lot of nothing.”

Darius punched him in the forearm lightly. “Ya always gotta be gloomy!”

Therion chuckled. He supposed that was true. Trying his best to entertain Darius, he jogged his memory.

“I suppose they might be the lanterns of lost spirits. Or maybe the souls of our ancestors. Or maybe the tears of the gods. I’ve heard plenty of stories, none of ‘em convincing.”

Darius looked down, seemingly digesting this information. He snapped his head back up towards the stars with a wide and uncharacteristically genuine smile. “I think they’re a buncha glow worms.”

“Glow worms? I’ve never heard that one before. Where’s it from?”

“Damn you, Therion, ya really think I’ve got no thoughts of my own?”

Therion was taken aback. “I didn’t mean it that way…”

“…Sorry. Used ta bein’ underestimated, I am…”

“Well, what’s the story with the glow worms?”

“Ya see, when I was a wee lad, long before I’d met ya, I went explorin’ and came upon a cave. I’d lost myself in there, outta curiosity. Ya see, it was gettin’ late, and I began ta despair ‘cause I’d no idea where ta go! And… soon enough, the walls of the cave began to glow…”

This tale had captured Therion’s attention, and he was now focusing intently on his partner, waiting for him to continue.

“I’d been surrounded by those glowin’ creatures on all sides. It was a thing of beauty, Therion! If I hadn’t already been weepin’ those damn things woulda done it.”

Therion tried to imagine what it might look like if Darius cried. The concept of the seemingly callous thief shedding tears was nearly impossible to visualize. He concluded it would be a most pitiable sight.

“Their light led me outta the cave, I’d gotten out and gone back to the orphanarium for a ripe whippin’ from the Sisters. But what a sight! That’ll be with my heart ‘till the day I pass from this damned realm.”

“So you think that those creatures wanted to help you?” Therion asked, trying to not come across like he was making fun.

“I dunno, Therion. But lemme ask ya, the stars guide people that same way, don’t they?”

“Hmmm… I guess you’re right. After all, they’re how we know north from south.”

“That’s what I’m gettin’ at! You’re a clever one, Therion.” The praise caused Therion’s face to redden, and he scolded himself for being so excitable.

Darius looked to his side to observe how Therion’s head was nestled into his shoulder, his curly silver hair seeming messier than usual. Oddly enough, he found it… cute. The thought turned to ash in his mind, being crushed immediately by an overwhelming guilt. Just what was he doing right now?

He picked up Therion’s head in his hands and tilted his face upwards to meet his gaze. Those green eyes… they were nearly the same colour as those lights that had guided him. Therion looked back at him curiously, but there wasn’t a sign of discomfort on his face. In fact, he seemed more at ease than he’d ever been.

Darius ran his hands through his tousled hair and pulled him in closer. With minor hesitation, he kissed Therion, and despite his initial apprehension the feeling of their lips pressed against each other caused his guilt and concerns to melt away. Therion reciprocated, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around Darius’ torso. They pulled away from each other, that tender kiss leaving them in a blissful state of simple joy.

“Well then…” Therion murmured, his arms still around his partner.

“…”

The lack of response perplexed Therion. “Darius?”

“…I-I’m sorry mate. I can’t be doin’ this with ya.”

“Wait, Darius… W-why not? What’s wrong with me?”

“It ain’t a problem with ya, lad. It’s just…” Darius petered off again and diverted his gaze from Therion.

“What is it?”

“Where do ya think this’ll get us? We’re thieves! Ain’t no liaisons in our profession.”

“So? We can be the first. You and me. We can travel the world thieving and robbing, just as we’ve always done. But now, we can be… We can be together, Darius.”

That last sentence seemed to just wreck Darius. He violently shoved Therion off him, as if the man he’d just kissed was now an infected leper. Therion wasn’t hurt as much as he was simply confused.

“I can’t be with ya… You’re a man, Therion. And I ain’t no…” Darius trailed off, a memory of being beat by a Holy Sister resurfacing in his mind. “I ain’t no faggot!” he exclaimed vehemently. In an instant, he’d exited the spring and wrapped himself in his towel. He barely gave Therion a second glance before marching back to their room, leaving his partner alone in the dark of night.

Dejected, Therion sat there for a few moments, contemplating what had just occurred. He'd awoken something in Darius, something he might not have even known was lying dormant within him. It took nothing more than the mere suggestion of advancing their relationship to send Darius into a frenzy. He didn’t know what to think, feeling rejected but also taking pity on him for he recognized that defensive behaviour. Several men he’d met in his travels would often perform similar theatrics if they’d been publicly accused of harbouring homosexual leanings, although they’d be the first ones to pull down their trousers and toss him a few coin in exchange for his mouth. But this time, he told himself, it wouldn’t turn out the same way. Maybe he was naïve for thinking that, but he was willing to risk it.

He gathered his bearings and stepped out of the spring, extinguishing the fire and covering himself with his towel. The path back to their room had escaped his mind, but he was fortunate as Darius’ footprints clearly led back to it. He followed them and returned, opening the door to find his friend sprawled on the bed. Darius saw him walk in, and turned in his bed to face the wall, seemingly not even wanting to see Therion’s face. As accustomed to it as he was, that avoidant behaviour still disheartened Therion, and he walked over to Darius’ bed.

“Hey. Darius.”

Darius just ignored him, staring at the wall as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Rejected yet again, Therion put on his trousers and crawled into his own bed. He now recounted the events of that day to himself, a nightly ritual. He robbed a manor, drank at a tavern, sucked his closest friend’s cock, and lost his virginity to a man that wouldn’t even look him in the eyes now, who wasn’t even sleeping in the same bed with him. Therion felt dirtier now than he had when he was covered in sweat and semen.

It seemed to him that he’d effectively deluded himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfic is going to be a lot longer than it has any right being for a ship that has maybe three people interested in it.
> 
> It's also WAY more detailed than I originally intended. Actually most of what I already typed out are just sex scenes. All the emotional crap is just me impulsively wanting to write. I suppose my own experiences of grappling with my sexuality are at play here. Hurray for Catholic school.


	5. Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Therion and Darius set out to Wellspring, as the life of thieves demands them to constantly be on the move. (No sex in this chapter, although it does get a little horny.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit, this chapter is a bit thin. I have been REALLY busy this past week, dealing with paperwork shit, picking up overtime shifts, etc. I have good news though. I finished my first academic paper, and I submitted it to a journal! I really hope it can get published. I'm on very good terms with a professor who works on the journal, as I did research under him this past year. I was accepted to work under him again a second year. Making my way up in academia is tough work but its very rewarding to be held in high esteem by such decorated professors. I'll admit I suffer from persistent impostor syndrome, but don't we all?

The morning made a majestic entrance with the sun’s yellow rays gleaming through the window in the room Therion and Darius rented for the night. The beam’s angle just so happened to align perfectly with Therion’s head, and the light shining directly into his eyes didn’t take long to awaken him. With a stretch and a yawn, he sat up in his bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes to take a look around. The room was nearly intact from its state when they first arrive, and fortunately so as they were often disposed to making a mess of things. Well, more accurately, they often left rooms in disarray after drunken stupor made tasks as simple as climbing into bed an uphill battle. Last night, however, they hadn’t drunk much at all, which Therion now began to regret as memories of what happened rushed back to him.

He shifted in his bed and realized that he was still a little sore from his escapades. Deciding to wait until he could adjust himself to it, he turned sideways, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. Darius was still sound asleep in the bed next to him, his red hair strewn about the pillow upon which his head lay. Therion noticed his hair was getting long, it was shoulder-length now and he seemed to have no intention of cutting it. Admittedly, he thought his longer hair was charming, it gave him a carefree look which matched his attitude. And well… he seemed so peaceful when he was asleep. It was hard for Therion to think that the man that lay sleeping in front of him was normally proud and boisterous. He was even smiling slightly as he slept, leading Therion to wonder what he might be dreaming about. Perhaps it was about stealing stuff, or of being a king feasting in a great hall, or maybe he was dreaming of that glow worm cave. His thoughts wandered. Maybe he was dreaming about being Therion’s boyfriend, and they would be ride or die lovers facing the cruel world together, one day at a time.

Darius shifted in his bed, a small shock bringing Therion out of his zoned-out state back to reality. He realized he was watching his partner sleep with a big dumb smile on his face. He chastised himself for being such a hopeless romantic sometimes. Sure, it was fun to imagine scenarios like that, but he had to keep himself grounded. Darius didn’t only have some serious internalized crap to confront, he just wasn’t really a romantic type. Therion hadn’t exactly thought of it before, but Darius never did have a legitimate relationship with someone. He never mentioned girlfriends, the most he seemed to want out of women was sex, and anything more than a one-night stand was out of the realm of possibility. Far from the guy Therion wanted, someone who’d kiss him tenderly and treat him kindly. Darius was more of the type to break hearts, if he could even get anyone to love him in the first place, that is.

Therion decided it was finally time to climb out of bed. He’d been sitting around for far too long, and the two of them had to get a move on. They were only allowed the room for an hour after sunrise, and they had to be sure to gather their belongings before leaving. His feet landed comfortably on the creaky wooden floor, and he paced over quietly to ensure all their things were still where they left them. His poncho was in the same place he’d left it last night, and thankfully all the coin he’d hidden underneath it was still there as well. In these sorts of shady inns, one can never feel too safe with valuables. He repeated the same process with Darius’ belongings. Certain that all their plunder had been accounted for, it was time for the most monumental task. He had to wake Darius up.

Not caring about his volume anymore, he stomped over to his partner’s bed and started violently shaking him.

“Time to wake up!” Therion shouted, taking a bit too much delight in bugging the shit out of Darius.

Instead of responding, Darius swatted at him and turned around.

“C’mon, it’s time to get up. We gotta leave soon.”

“Mmmmphh….” Darius groaned in response, and buried his head into the pillow.

“Darius! We’ll be outstaying our room. You don’t wanna pay a late fee, do you?”

With the prospect of losing money hanging overhead, Darius shot up from bed, and well… he was totally naked. Therion turned away and hid his face with his hands, hoping he wasn’t blushing nearly as intensely as he thought he was. Darius didn’t seem to care, he was proud enough of his body and didn’t mind showing off a little. He sauntered over and pulled on his trousers and shirt, then brushed his hair out of his eyes. His view no longer obstructed, he stared perplexedly at Therion’s timid display.

“What’re ya doin’ mate?”

Therion peeked through the gaps in his fingers, and realized that Darius was now clothed. Relieved, he lifted his head up and swept some of hair behind his ears.

“Nothing. Get your cuirass on and let’s go. I’ve already inventoried everything.”

That harsh and arrogant tone was back on his partner, Darius noted. Almost like he hadn’t just spread his legs for him the night before. That little flask of gel was covered under the folds of the blanket he’d been sleeping under. With a deft hand, he slipped it into his pocket. He might be using it again soon, just to wipe that smug look off Therion’s face. The thought made him chuckle to himself, although Therion’s puzzled glance made him realize he might have done so a bit too loudly.

He slipped the cuirass on, sticking his arms through the holes and pressing it against his chest. It was more form-fitting than the loose white undershirt he had on underneath. He shifted his hands down to his hips and fastened the clasps on both sides, tightening the armour against himself. Then, he reached up to his shoulders and began tightening the buckles there, when suddenly, Therion approached him. Without speaking a word, he helped his partner wear his cuirass, gently brushing his hands against Darius’ neck as he fastened the buckles.

“Thanks,” Darius could only reply with a curt tone. He felt a little baffled at that display of… affection? as he’d just been relishing in the thought of dominating Therion. Maybe he was a little fucked up.

“Now hurry up, you dumb brute! We gotta get going soon. Remember the late fee?” Therion reminded him with an elbow to the rib.

The two of them performed one final examination of their room before stepping out, leaving the door locked behind them. A different innkeeper was in the lobby, a matronly woman wearing her hair up in a bun, smiling down sweetly at a book that absorbed her attention. She seemed to be hardly aware of her surroundings, and Darius’ thieving instinct took over, pocketing a fire starter that was placed near a lit candlestick. Therion slammed the keys down on the counter that stood between him and the dame, the stray strands of hair that were covering part of her face being swept off to the side by her startled reaction.

She was clearly most displeased at the interruption, yet duty precluded her from expressing it explicitly. Instead, she offered a dejected smile at Therion’s rudeness as he walked off, crossing off his rented room from the list of guests and sticking her nose right back into her book.

Therion jogged toward his partner, who was impatiently pacing near the exit as if he’d been waiting hours. That immature attitude of his never seemed to fully escape him, Therion remarked. Even in situations where they had to act natural, he always had his own way of pushing the envelope, as if he were several moves ahead of everyone else. Therion supposed he often was, but he felt certain that one day his boastful tendencies would betray upon him a karmic justice.

Darius, seemingly unaware of the irritation Therion felt toward his antics, slapped him roughly on the back and guffawed.

“Well Therion! I suppose you’ve got an idea of where we’re off to, considerin’ the rush ya put me in this dawning…”

“Not exactly. But we should probably head somewhere we can sell off all this loot.”

“We can’t be goin’ to the Cliftlands, our contact there’s locked up for drummin’ and he’s got a sorrowful tale.”

“There’s a place in Wellspring we can wash this stuff in.”

“Wellspring? Well then, we might hafta go up to Sunshade afterwards and celebrate with some fine brass!”

In response to that suggestion, Therion forced a smile. Darius was so oblivious, or maybe intentionally obtuse. Did he really give himself to such a lecher?

“C’mon now, Therion. I never even seen ya enjoy the company of a woman. You can’t be virginal forever!” Upon saying that, a wide grin was plastered across Darius’ face. His features grew dark and his voice lowered. “…Oh, I suppose ya aren’t anymore after last night, eh?” he whispered with a cocky tone.

Therion elbowed him in the spleen, trying his best to seem offended when he was really embarrassed.

“Well, they might have some ladies you’ll like down there for ya, Therion. It ain’t called the City of Pleasures for nothin’!”

At this point, Therion had to wonder if he was just ignorant. He felt pretty sure he came across as the kind of guy who didn’t feel much in terms of romantic or sexual inclinations toward women. His whole life, he preferred boys… but at this point, there was one he was beginning to prefer above others. Even if he was kind of a dick.

Upon exiting the small inn, the two men had to squint and turn their heads down. It was nearly midday, and the sun was shining overhead. The roads which had previously been quiet and shrouded in rain were now rather lively, as if everyone in town were rushing off to deal with the most important affairs in the world. Carriages being dragged by trotting horses, donkeys burdened with farmer’s harvest, choleric villagers shouting at each other over nothing important. Watching as everyone else comported themselves the same way they always had made Therion feel just a little smaller in the world. While this was just another typical day for everyone around him, he had just ventured into unknown territories last night and the whiplash from his decision was still affecting him mentally. They all seemed so absorbed in their daily mundanities, he supposed it was blissful compared to the mess of troubled thoughts he could barely even ascribe the label of “mind” to anymore.

Darius interrupted his absorption in people-watching with a beckon towards a nearby suspicious-looking woman with half her face covered by a scarf. It was rather clear she was a newbie thief, her style of dress and jittery mannerisms giving her away with nothing more but a cursory glance.

“Hey, I suppose a young tea leaf might know where to get a cheap ride out of this town?”

She replied with a thick foreign accent. “I have no dealings with tea.” The ‘th’ in her ‘with’ sounded more like a ‘z.’

Darius seemed pleased with her ability to feign ignorance. With that acting talent, she had the makings of a great thief. “Ya oughta learn to be less conspicuous when you’re out an’ about, lass. With that thing coverin’ yer entire damn face, I spotted ya a mile away! Now then… about the carriages…”

Shock barely registered on her face at Darius’ assertion, although she actually hadn’t realized she’d made herself a target. Studying the appearances of the two men standing before her, she smiled to herself as she noted that they were all in the same profession. There was a level of honour among thieves, and holding herself to that standard, she divulged some valuable information to the fiery redhead.

“Go down two streets until you see a scarred man with a fine yellow-haired Galloway in the square. Tell him Crystal sent you and you’ll receive a fine discount. Fare well, and shadow hide you.” Her ‘R’s rolled as she spoke, and Therion could only surmise she came from down south in the Sunlands. Heeding Darius’ advice to make herself stand out less, she unwrapped her scarf, revealing youthful features underneath. Despite clearly being well traveled, she couldn’t have been older than 16 or 17. Therion wondered what sort of life she must have had to end up so far from home. Probably one like his.

Darius was beaming, clearly pleased with the fact that his vocation conferred some privileges. He smirked confidently at Therion, as if to show off how clever he was for getting them a bargain on a ride out of town. Therion only smiled back, noting that his partner’s disposition was rather sunny today. What had him in such a good mood?

The two of them finally arrived to the square the young girl had described. It was remarkably vacant, at least compared to the area they’d just been in. Sure enough, a blonde horse stood in a corner near a cart half-filled with bushels of barley. As they approached, a short man was revealed to be sitting on a stool next to it, brushing through its hair gently as if it were of the finest pedigree. His face remained handsome regardless of the gruesome burn scar that covered its left half. Despite his seeming entrancement by his task of combing the horse’s hair, he was alerted to Therion and Darius drawing near and immediately assumed a defensive stance in his chair. His paranoia seemed to serve him well, as unfamiliar faces could always mean trouble for a man who deals with thieves. Darius didn’t let the man’s tense appearance stop him, and continued walking toward him anyways, dragging Therion along who didn’t seem to feel the same.

“Hello sir. We’ve been referred to ya by a fine lady by the name of Crystal. Might you be able to ride us down to Wellspring?”

“Crystal? …” His deep, raspy voice echoed staccato diction from his chest like a timpani.

Trying his best to seem patient, Darius crossed his arms and nodded, the rapid tapping of his foot giving away his eagerness.

“Very well. It’s 300 leaves. 150 now, 150 there.”

Therion materialized the needed money from his bag of coins, and the strange man took the time to count it all before even looking up to acknowledge the two thieves again. When he was satisfied with his payment, he silently attached the barley-filled cart to his Galloway, and stacked up the remaining bushels on top of each other to make space for his new customers.

“Get on. We’ll be in Wellspring within a fortnight,” he stated as he grabbed the remainder of his belongings from the surrounding area. The two of them followed his instruction, Therion climbing in first with the help of Darius, his shorter frame causing him to stumble on his first attempt. With a quick hop, Darius entered and sat himself next to his silver-haired friend, arm wrapped around his shoulder.

“Off we go, eh Therion?” Darius shook his partner gently at the question.

“Yeah, let’s hope we get there before the money runs out.”

“What? What about our loot?” Darius stared wide-eyed, worried but (surprisingly!) not angry.

“Well… we mostly just have coin left. If we’re giving 150 to this guy again later, we’re gonna need to hold on to that much. And if this trip will take two weeks, we’re gonna have to stagger our meals and get the cheapest possible inns if we want to be able to pay for it all.”

“Why don’t we just pay ‘im with our goods?”

“This stuff is worth way more if we resell it. Considering all the trouble we went through to get it, I’m not willing to lose out on the profit. It’s off-limits.”

Darius nodded, agreeing with Therion. After all, profit was what they needed to put food in their bellies and a roof above their heads. Giving away an aristocrat’s jewelry to some disfigured coachman who likely didn’t understand its value was a clear mistake.

“Ya know, Therion… I might not tell ya this, but you’re cleverer than you let on.”

In response to the compliment, Therion blushed slightly. “Thanks.”

As they’d now left the town, Darius felt a bit more brazen. He put his hand on Therion’s thigh and squeezed roughly, looking into his eyes as he did it.

“Darius?” he could only respond with innocent confusion.

The red-haired man turned to whisper into his ear. “Let’s do _that_ again sometime soon.”

Those words caused blood to drain from his face, and towards somewhere else on his body. “Uh…” He was dumbstruck. Before he could ask any further questions, Darius had moved to lay down on the other side of the cart.

“I’m just messin’ with ya.” Darius stated nonchalantly. As if Therion hadn’t already figured that out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this chapter. I've sort of foreshadowed something in this chapter that I plan on writing soon, and I want to see if anyone can catch it here. Ah ha ha. I am so evil sometimes.


	6. Adrenaline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Therion and Darius make their first stop on their way to Wellspring. What surprises does this journey have in store?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 90% stuff I learned in JROTC camping excursions, and 10% sex. So basically it's everything I learned in JROTC. There is a relatively detailed description of a rabbit being hunted and slaughtered, so you can skip past all that if you're sensitive to it.
> 
> P.S. Thank you for 200 hits! I know I'm writing about a very niche pairing so I don't expect much clout off of this fic, but I appreciate knowing that at least a few people have read this crap.

The veil of twilight began to slowly envelop the sky, the bright blue of the midday giving way to the oranges and reds of dusk. They had been on the road for hours, stopping only when the pale yellow horse needed a drink, or the coachman needed a break. The day’s journey had taken its toll on all of them, and it would soon be time to stop and set up camp. As the horse’s gait slowed to a gentle trot, Therion and Darius prepared themselves to exit the cart. Therion slipped his poncho back on and wrapped himself up in his scarf, both of which he’d previously been using as a sort of makeshift blanket. Darius grabbed his leather boots from the floor of the cart and wore them again, fastening their buckles tightly as if he’d they’d fall right off his feet otherwise.

The odd coachman steered his Galloway toward a small clearing in the wooded area they were passing through. Judging by the vegetation, Therion guessed they must have been in the Woodlands. He struck his forehead with his palm for pointing out the obvious to himself. Was he already this tired?

The cart finally came to a halt, and the man riding the horse pet its head gently before dismounting. Silently, he walked over to the cart where his passengers sat and crawled in to grab something. Underneath a bushel of barley, a tent kit was concealed. With a swift motion, he took it in his hands and hopped back out.

“You two. Help.” he asked, although his tone of voice made it come across as more of a demand.

Within seconds, Darius was helping set up camp, eager to use his tent pitching skills. He drove the two upright poles into the soft ground beneath them, grinning proudly at the coachman who noticed his show of force. The man took the final ridge pole and set it horizontally between the two upright poles, forming a rectangular frame. With a deft hand, Therion tied all the poles together, ensuring their stability through the night. Finally, the coachman and Darius laid one of the cotton canvas tarps over the frame, forming a triangle-shaped wedge tent. Therion laid the other tarp on the ground, forming a floor for their camp. It was nearly finished, although it seemed like something was missing. As if an idea had just popped into his head, the coachman dashed back to his cart, and fetched something else from there. Blankets. Carrying two of them in his hand, he dropped one inside the tent, and another on a nearby log.

Therion looked confused. The tent was spacious enough, yet it seemed though it only really had space for two people. There were clearly three of them. It seemed the coachman had noticed his perplexed expression, as he began to explain his plans for the night.

“We’ll have one of us standing watch over the camp in 3-hour rotations. I’ll volunteer first, and you two decide who watches after. We ride tomorrow at dawn.”

“What are we goin’ ta eat?” Darius asked with an irritated tone.

“You two get the meal going, I’ll sit down here,” he replied, stretching his legs and yawning loudly.

Darius could barely hide his indignation. He’d gone all day without eating, only for this bastard with a cart full of food to send him off on the hunt. Sensing his anger, Therion tried to deflate the situation before anything could happen.

“Sir, we haven’t yet asked your name. Might you tell us?” he inquired as politely as he could muster.

“I’m Anatoly. Now please, fetch us something to eat.”

His attempt at being nice seemed to at least serve to calm Darius down, whose grimace had mellowed into a curious expression in response to his diplomacy. Therion quickly turned towards his partner and dragged him off, away from the campsite. Despite his protests, Darius came along and helped scavenge for food.

Since they were in the Woodlands in full summer, it was only a matter of time before they found a fruiting tree. With one swift motion, Therion had already climbed halfway up the tree, leaving Darius on the floor below him to carry their plunder. He grabbed a branch and shook it so a few pale red apples fell from the tree, and Darius’ quick instincts allowed him to catch all but one of them in his hands. Satisfied with what they got, Therion climbed back down, grabbing two more apples on his way.

Darius was about to bite right into one when Therion swatted it away from his mouth. Feeling vexed, he pulled his own fire-red tresses in a futile attempt to defuse himself.

“Why’d ya do that, bastard?” he asked with bemusement.

Grabbing the apple out of his hands, Therion offered an explanation. He rotated the apple and showed him a small hole bored into its surface. “This apple has a worm in it, genius. We can’t eat it, it’s going to be rabbit bait.”

“Rabbit?” All the rage Darius felt subsided nearly instantly at the prospect of a delicious meal. Noticing his eagerness, Therion smiled and nodded sweetly. “Yes, Darius. We’re going to trap a rabbit. I’ll gather sticks and leaves, you dig a hole.”

Obeying his directions, Darius grabbed a flat rock and used it as a makeshift shovel to dig a hole in the ground. The soil was soft and soon enough he had a hole about two feet deep. Therion came over and arranged a pile of twigs into a grid-like formation above the hole, and covered it with leaves to make it more inconspicuous. The finishing touch was the bait. He took the wormed apple and smashed it up with Darius’ rock, leaving the remains on top of the pit.

Now that their trap was set, it was time for them to sit back and wait. Quietly, Therion scaled a nearby tree, waiting for their dinner to come to them. Since his hands were full of apples, Darius couldn’t do the same, instead opting to camouflage himself to the best of his ability. He tried to initiate a conversation, but he was quickly hushed by the more cautious Therion. He resented it, but he had to admit that his partner was the more skilled hunter between them, since Therion possessed a virtue that always escaped him. Patience.

Thanks to the warmth of the summer, the forest was teeming with life. It only seemed to take a few minutes before a rabbit set off their trap and got stuck in the pit Darius dug. Feeling proud, the two of them paced over to the hole. Therion grabbed the live rabbit and held it in his arms, its panicked squirming making him feel a twinge of guilt. Fortunately, he knew how to calm it down before It could sound the classic rabbit distress call. Therion shuddered just remembering that horrifically loud and piercing scream. He held it close to his heart, which served to mimic the warmth and heartbeat of its mother. He whispered gently to it, allowing it to become habituated to his voice.

Darius watched the entire display utterly mystified. How could he be so kind towards something he was soon going to slaughter? His eyes narrowed with suspicion. He came to the conclusion that he had to make sure Therion submitted to him. His mind raced back to what he did to him a few nights ago. How vulnerable and passive Therion would become when they fucked. A wry smile crept across his face as he realized he already had the perfect method of enforcing of his partner’s loyalty.

Finally, the two of them arrived back at their campsite. Conveniently, Anatoly had already started a fire for them. Therion carried the rabbit off to a nearby pond, as he was about to butcher it for the night’s meal. In the meantime, Darius left the apples with Anatoly and went to bathe in the pond nearby.

The poor rabbit became agitated in Therion’s arms, apparently sensing danger. It was right, of course, as he was preparing himself to kill it. He lifted the creature’s head and sliced right through it with his dagger, grimacing as he felt its body grow limp. It wasn’t especially pleasant, but it was a necessary task to avoid starvation. Once the rabbit had passed, he got right to work on processing the meat. He used a nearby vine growing on a tree to tie it by the legs, slicing it open to drain the blood and remove the offal. Thankfully, this rabbit was very lean and had enough meat to feed all three of them, otherwise he would have to cook the rather gamey liver. He skinned the rabbit and disposed of its paws, head, and scent glands. The latter organ was definitely the most important to remove, as its horrid stench could easily turn a delightful meal into an exercise of the limits of the human palate.

Meanwhile, Darius had finished his bath and returned to the campsite. On his way back, he found some decent sized boletes and brought them with him. He sat down next to the fire and placed them down on a flat rock near it, cutting them open to verify they weren’t poisonous. None of the mushrooms turned blue when sliced, so he was satisfied with their safety and left them on the rock to cook in the flame’s heat. Soon enough, Therion returned with a skinned and processed rabbit. Darius set up two tree branches around the campfire to cook the rabbit rotisserie style, and quickly sharpened a final branch to skewer the meat.

With their labour finally complete, the three men gathered around the campfire, the delicious aroma of their quarry filling the air. The twilight sun was setting beneath the horizon, dyeing the clouds with rich scarlets and mauves as a splendid last hurrah. Soon enough, the rabbit was roasted to perfection, and Darius eagerly grabbed the left breast before the others could decide how to split it. Annoyed with such a lack of manners, Therion shot him a disapproving scowl and generously gave the second leanest breast to their coachman. The rest of the rabbit was rather sparse, but he figured the apples and mushrooms would be more than enough to make up for it. They dug in, the tender meat falling right off the bone as they chewed on their meal. Within ten minutes, the three of them had scarfed down the roasted mushrooms and rabbit and had moved on to snacking on their apples.

“You’ve made us a quality meal, thank you… sorry, your names?” Anatoly asked politely.

“My name’s Therion. And the unkempt one is Darius,” he answered humorously in response to Darius’ hunched over stance as he munched on an apple with his red hair falling in front of his eyes. He didn’t seem to be bothered by the remark, or perhaps he was too distracted by his meal to protest.

Anatoly chuckled in response. “Well, thank you very much Mr. Therion. You and your friend ought to get some rest soon, seeing as you’ll be watching over the camp tonight.”

Therion nodded and paced over to his shaggy-haired friend, who had finished eating his red apple down to the core. Gently, he shook Darius’ shoulders, signaling that it was time for them to get some rest. Darius tossed the core off into the woods and followed Therion into the tent, both of them removing their boots before crawling in.

The tent was very compact, and it barely allowed a foot of space between them. Careful to not elbow each other, they both removed their outer layers of clothing. Darius unfastened the buckles of his leather cuirass and slipped it off, Therion unwrapped his scarf and lifted his poncho over his head. He turned toward Darius and smiled softly before laying down on his side to sleep, facing away from his partner and wrapping himself in a blanket. Even though Therion only did it to give his friend some personal space, Darius couldn’t help but chuckle to himself about how he was trying to act like he didn’t want to sleep closer together. This seemed like an opportune time to test Therion’s limits.

Darius laid down next to his silver-haired friend and faced his body towards him, as if they were spooning (minus the physical closeness). Therion noticed his positioning but decided to feign ignorance, closing his eyes to seem like he was really going to go to bed. Since he hadn’t yet received any negative feedback, Darius slowly crept closer to his partner, until their bodies were pressed against each other. The sudden warmth against his body made Therion realize what was going on, and yet he didn’t seem opposed at all. He rocked his hips backward, innocuously rubbing his ass against Darius who grinned in response. He tried to play it off as though he were just readjusting, uttering a quiet ‘Sorry’ and shifting his weight. But Darius knew what he really wanted and would get him to admit it soon enough.

Silently, Darius slid his hands across Therion’s hips and grabbed his thigh, squeezing it roughly. There were still no protests. He felt bolder still, and moved his hand upwards, nearing the most sensitive area on the smaller man’s body. Therion whimpered in response, shifting his legs apart to give Darius better access. However, Darius stopped there, instead opting to rub his clothed cock against his ass. He quickly noticed that it was growing hard, and Darius pulled him in closer to increase the pressure against it.

“Darius…?” he asked, trying to gauge his partners current state of mind.

“Therion.” he whispered back sultrily into his ear, pressing himself against his hips.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Suck me off again. I need your mouth.” Darius responded aggressively.

Without a moment of hesitation, he sat up and turned Darius over on his back. He crawled over to Darius’ legs and straddled him, rubbing his hands against his partner’s clothed erection.

“Sorry, I don’t remember what you wanted me to do…” he taunted mischievously, trying to get a rise out of Darius.

Darius grabbed one of his wrists and forced Therion’s hand down his pants, causing his eyes to widen as he felt just how aroused Darius really was.

“Ya see what you’ve done to me?” Darius said, his voice hoarse.

The realization that he could have this sort of effect on a such a typically apathetic man made Therion’s heart jump. He felt a rush of adrenaline overwhelm him as he too grew aroused. He unlaced Darius’ trousers and pulled out his cock, thick and engorged. He had already produced some precum at the tip, and Therion began by licking it off.

“Fuuuck, Therion,” Darius replied breathily, the extent of his arousal making it hard to think straight.

Therion leaned up and covered Darius’ mouth with his hand. “Shhh… he’ll hear you.” They had to be incredibly quiet, since Anatoly was still standing watch outside, and being too loud might give them away. What they were doing was not only indecent, but two men being caught together like this could be dangerous. The risk only amplified their desire, as everyone knows forbidden fruit is always the sweetest.

Swiftly, Therion reassumed his position with his face next to Darius’ cock, teasing the head with his fingertips to torment the poor man. A spurned Darius took it in his own hands to give Therion what he was asking for. Growling aggressively, he grabbed a handful of curly silver hair and shoved Therion’s head against his cock, using his other hand to slap it against his face. Rather than being put off by the display of force, Therion opened his mouth and let his tongue hang out, letting Darius slide his cock along it. Therion shot him a suggestive glance and started licking it enthusiastically, using his lips to mouth along its tip. He inhaled deeply and took half of it in his mouth, the other half being serviced by his hands. The feeling of Therion’s warm and wet throat was driving Darius insane and he groaned and thrusted his hips upwards, attempting to envelop himself in the feeling. Watching Darius lose his composure made Therion feel oddly powerful. He was the only person who had ever gotten to see him defenseless like this.

It seemed as though Therion was having a profound effect on his partner, who was now red in the face and moaning desperately. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and he stopped what he was doing, letting Darius’ aching cock slip out from between his lips.

“You enjoying yourself?” Therion whispered with a provocative tone.

“S-Shut up, Ther—nngh!”

His sentence was cut short by a new and unfamiliar feeling of pleasure. Therion’s tongue was pressed against his asshole, the sensitive tissue unhabituated to being stimulated. He took his own cock into his hands and rubbed it slowly, freeing Therion’s hands so his partner could take care of his own erection. The sensation was foreign, but he quickly learned that he enjoyed it.

Therion noticed how Darius’ cock started twitching in response to his creative idea. He pressed his face against his partners ass, rimming the hole and covering it in spit. It was so slick and lubricated that he managed to lightly penetrate it with his tongue, the feeling of pressure inside him making Darius convulse and tighten his thighs around Therion’s head. He was moaning uncontrollably at this point, biting down on his fingers to quiet himself. He felt increasingly ashamed of how much he was enjoying this, allowing Therion to eat him out as if he were some sort of… faggot. That word came up in his mind again, and he winced when he realized it would definitely apply to him right now.

Darius ran his left hand through Therion’s hair, rubbing his head gently as he rimmed his ass. Wondering if he was crazy, Therion noted a tenderness to the gesture, something rather uncharacteristic of Darius. He smiled to himself. Maybe he could get his heart to thaw after all.

“Therion… Look up at me.” The words quietly escaped his lips, sounding almost delirious from pleasure.

He obeyed the request, lifting his head up to see his friend seemingly consumed by lust. Darius sat up too and looked Therion in the eye. He stared at Therion for what felt like several minutes, contemplating what he just let happen to him. He was enjoying having a man lick his asshole. That fact sent him for a loop and wounded his masculinity. It was one thing to be the giver, it was something he could easily justify to himself as simple physical needs. But it was another thing to be the receiver, to be the one getting his legs spread open by another man. He needed to reassert himself, and he had to do it soon. Without saying anything, he shoved Therion down on his back and pulled off his trousers. The look of panic on his friends face didn’t even register, he was so desperate to rectify the situation.

“D-Darius, what are you doing?” Therion asked uneasily.

At this point, Darius was so absorbed in what he was doing he didn’t answer. It took him only a second to retrieve that flask of white gel from his pocket. He rolled his partner over onto his side and held his left thigh up, spreading his legs apart.

“Wait, Darius, I don’t want to… I’m not ready…”

“Quiet. I’m not gonna fuck you.” Darius squeezed his thigh roughly, leaving white marks where his fingers were.

“What are you going to do then?”

“You’ll see.” Darius replied, opening the flask and covering four fingers with the gel inside.

“Hey! What are you—" he begged again, only for Darius to silence him with a hand over his mouth.

Darius slathered the substance across his thighs, lubricating them. Therion understood now. His nerves calmed down and he no longer felt fearful, although he was annoyed that Darius couldn’t have just been straightforward with him. He glanced over his shoulder to watch as Darius slid his cock between his thighs. Trying his best to make him feel good, he pressed his thighs together tightly.

“Fuck, Therion,” Darius groaned softly, the head of his cock pushing between his partners legs.

Therion felt giddy as he was being thighfucked by his friend and pushed his legs up against him to allow him to reach deeper still. Darius gripped his face and turned it towards him, kissing him passionately as he thrust between his thighs. He was getting lost in the pleasure, at the way Therion clenched his thighs to press against his cock, at the way their tongues intertwined. It certainly helped that Therion was a habitual runner, the skin of his legs rendered supple and elastic, perfect for what Darius was doing with them.

“You like bein’ used like this?” Darius hissed in his ear.

Therion nodded fervently, flexing his thighs again just to hear Darius’ breath hitch.

“If it weren’t for that bastard out there, I’d be inside you right now…” Darius confessed. He wanted so badly to penetrate Therion, to feel his asshole grip his cock again. But he still had some reason left in him, and he knew they would be much too loud if they did that.

“I want you so bad, Darius.” Therion replied in an unintentionally sultry voice.

Those words seemed to overpower anything that remained of Darius’ rationality and drove him over the edge. He thrusted so fast and hard between Therion’s thighs that they started quivering, the sheer knowledge that he was allowing his body to be used for Darius’ pleasure pushing him to orgasm. He caught his cum in his hands, with Darius following suit soon after.

Hands covered in both of their semen, Therion sat up, leaning over an exhausted Darius. Slowly, he licked all the cum off his hands, finger by finger, sucking on each of them until nothing remained. Darius stared in awe at his little show. It was plain to see at this point that Therion was eager to please, the devilish smirk plastered across his face after swallowing all that cum being a clear indication. Despite hesitating at first, Darius planted a quick kiss on Therion’s lips and laced up his trousers again to get some rest. Therion followed suit.

They must have been at it a lot longer than they realized, because Anatoly had woken them again within thirty minutes. It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this shit at like 3 in the morning so if there are typos I'll correct them soon when I read it in a less sleep-deprived state. The next chapter is still a work in progress, I originally intended for it to be part of this one but it was getting too long and I've gone a while without publishing anything.
> 
> Also, I mentioned in the last chapter that I foreshadowed something happening to Therion in a later chapter. This isn't what I was talking about. It'll make more sense once I get around to actually publishing it.
> 
> P.S Leave a kudos and/or comment if you like what I'm working on. I'm mostly writing this for myself (this is clearly a very self-indulgent fic, I spent half this chapter just explaining what I do on camping trips), but I do like to hear feedback.


	7. Plagued By Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camping misadventures continue. Darius has some shit to confront. Does he actually do it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update! I know I've been updating pretty regularly but this one took a while since I've had tons of shit to deal with. Paperwork, school, and work are not that fun. It doesn't help that I rarely get inspired to write until 3 in the damn morning. 
> 
> Also, I'd like to thank those who've left comments and kudos on my work. It made me really happy to see that there are people enjoying what I've been writing, so thank you! It actually gave me motivation to go ahead and finish up this chapter.

Muttering profanities under his breath, Darius sat up, greeted by the tired expression of their coachman. He had been standing guard for several hours and judging by the lack of suspicion on his face, he was none the wiser as to what they had been up to. A sigh of relief escaped Therion’s mouth as he wasn’t woken by the angered screams of a man who knew a little too much. Instead, Anatoly seemed wholly oblivious to anything that might’ve happened. For all he knew, the two of them spent the entirety of those three hours asleep. Therion silently praised the gods, the salty taste of semen on his breath reminding him exactly of what he’d done.

“Well, my shifts over. It’s up to you two to decide who keeps watch next.” Anatoly stated, rubbing his eyes and yawning at that last word.

Therion and Darius looked at each other, as if they expected the other to offer first.

“I’ll keep watch,” Darius replied, narrowing his eyes at Therion, scolding him for his lack of promptness.

Anatoly nodded and thanked the volunteer and crawled right into the tent and under the blankets, barely giving himself ten seconds to remove his boots and outerwear. Within what seemed to Therion like a minute, he was out cold, the fatigue of a day of riding having caught up to him. It was a golden opportunity for Therion to exit the tent and follow Darius. Maybe now that their coachman was fast asleep, they could have a bit more privacy.

“Hey, Darius,” Therion said as he sat himself down next to his partner.

They sat together on a log in front of the once raging campfire, now reduced to flames dancing around glowing embers. Darius fanned it lightly, feeding it oxygen and causing veins of bright orange to glow in the charcoal. Deciding to contribute to the effort, Therion fished a fire starter from his pocket and struck it rapidly against dry wood, the sparks quickly rekindling the flames.

“Well then,” Darius said, stretching out his arms and letting out a loud yawn. “I ain’t got any rest, mate.”

“Neither have I.”

Therion let out a slow chuckle, and Darius joined in, the chuckle graduating to a shared guffaw. After all, they both knew why they were so tired. They both found it to be a bit humorous that they were sitting around complaining of getting no sleep when they had willingly sacrificed it. Darius patted his partner on the back as he held his belly, which ached slightly in the side after all the laughing they’d done. He jabbed him lightly in the elbow and smiled widely. At the end of the day, they were always going to be friends.

Just. Friends. Neither of them knew whether to be bitter or glad about it. Their expressions grew serious once again, and Therion looked his friend in the eyes. Was there something more? Or would digging any further lead nowhere but his own grave?

A pained look grew on Darius’ face. He grabbed Therion’s shoulder and stared back into his green eyes.

“Therion. What do ya want from me?”

That question was sort of out of left field. Therion had no idea how to answer. His gaze became erratic, darting across his field of vision, as if he were expecting something to come save him from humiliation. But no one came, and he was stuck here, having to somehow string the tangled mess he called his feelings into a sentence short and meek enough to satisfy Darius.

“I…I don’t really know.”

“Nothin’ in this world is free. Not even what ya thieve! So what is it?”

“It?” If Therion didn’t have a look of pure confusion on his face already, that question sure did him in.

“What is it you want with me?”

Therion couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Suddenly, he felt awash in some rush of emotion. He grabbed Darius’ shirt by the collar and pulled him in, pressing their lips together. Darius gave in to the kiss, closing his eyes and hugging Therion tightly.

Therion pulled away and gently brushed stray hair out of Darius’ face. The two of them paused and looked away from each other.

“I dunno what to make of it.” Darius stated plainly.

Resolve struck Therion’s spirit. “Who cares? It doesn’t have to mean anything. We need to stay on the road all the time and ‘cause of that, we don’t see women for weeks on end sometimes. And well…”

“I see your point.”

“Things build up after a while. It’s no harm done to relieve pressure.” Therion knew he was sort of lying here, but he figured this might be a beneficial lie. It was time to start lowering his expectations.

“Suppose you’re right, mate.” A grin crept up on Darius’ face. “You know, I never took ya for the…” He trailed off.

“The what?”

“Well… how ought I put it… the submissive type.” He chuckled to himself after seeing how that observation turned Therion’s face to a shade of light red.

“W-w-well…” Therion could hardly stand to respond, fidgeting excessively with his hair and rocking back and forth lightly.

Darius put his hand on his shoulder and stabilized him, that stupid wide smirk still on his face. He had to admit, he was a bit astonished at how easily his words could affect Therion. Here was this notorious master thief, who’d suffered many battles and broken into the most impregnable fortresses as if they were peasant’s shacks. He had been at the wrong end of many swords and had the scars to prove it. Despite that tough-guy image Therion cultivated through his years of thievery, he was succumbing so thoroughly to him. He had to admit, it felt a bit good to realize he could have that sort of effect on someone.

“I guess we all got our secrets, eh mate?”

“Hmm…”

“And ya seen a secret side of me too.”

Therion stared at him for a moment. That was very true. He was the expert here, in fact, considering he’d around Darius for the past seven years of his life. Not once did he ever find him sleeping with a man…

“So… what are you, then?”

Seemingly taking the question too literally, Darius looked at his lap and answered. “Well, I’m a human, or at the very least I’ve been told I am,” he laughed, pinching himself in the arm to emphasize the joke.

“Not that, stupid. I mean… are you into guys?” Therion asked as detachedly as possible, trying to not seem like he was fishing for a certain answer.

Darius winced at the question, bitter memories resurfacing in his mind. Although he felt an impulse to just shove Therion away and express indignation at the very implication, he decided he might owe his friend a bit of kindness and not beat him up. “Not at all. I’m a ladies’ man through and through, Therion.”

“So then… why are you doing these things with me?”

“…I’d hoped ya wouldn’t ask that.”

Therion sighed. “I’m just curious, is all.”

“Well, you said it yourself. After a while, things build up.” Darius shrugged.

“When we did… that…” Therion hesitated to even say the word. “You said you’d been wanting to do it for years. What was that about?”

Darius remembered those times he let his gaze linger a little too long on Therion’s body in the baths. When he would bend in a specific way while reaching down to pick a lock. When they would be pressed against each other while sneaking through narrow corridors of a fortress or manse. He might have to acknowledge that his desire was burning a lot more brightly than he was letting on. He looked down somberly and clasped his knees in each hand.

“Forbidden fruit is the sweetest. Ain’t that right, Therion?”

“What are you getting at?”

“Heh heh. Guess it’s shite I can’t explain.” Without a moment’s notice, he grabbed Therion’s head and pulled him in for a kiss.

Therion reciprocated, wrapping his arms around his friend, letting himself give in to it. It quickly became more impassioned, their bodies heating up in their embrace. Darius moaned quietly and slipped his tongue into Therion’s mouth. Wrapping his arms tighter around his partner, surrendered completely to the kiss. Darius forced him down across the log, pressing his back against the wood. Within seconds, Darius was on top of Therion, pressing his body weight down against him and pinning him against the log. Their tongues intertwined in each other’s mouths and Therion closed his eyes, tugging at Darius’ long red hair.

“Mmph… fuck, Darius,” he groaned after Darius grabbed his inner thighs and spread them apart roughly.

Darius wanted nothing more but to take him now. He clutched his dagger in its scabbard, briefly considering using it to slice Therion’s clothes right off his body. His rational mind perished the thought but instead treated him to a vision of a helpless Therion servicing him while pinned underneath him. He decided to turn that vision to reality. Aggressively, he grabbed hold of Therion’s wrist and placed his hand on his clothed cock. It was semi-erect.

Therion shot back a confused look. Didn’t they just…

“Jerk me off. Now.” Darius hissed, some primal instinct beginning to take over his mind.

Therion smirked back at him and nodded. Silently, he deftly unlaced Darius’ trousers and pulled them lower around his thighs, exposing his growing erection. He was surprised at how quickly Darius was up and running again, just when he thought he’d extinguished him for the night.

“Impressed, aren’t ya?” Darius whispered, Therion’s baffled expression filling him with pride. He seized Therion’s jaw in his palm, squeezing it to open his mouth. “Look at me,” he ordered. Therion couldn’t see Darius’ cock, but felt it in his hands, its girth widening in his grasp. He stroked it slowly, waiting to see what Darius was going to do to him.

Certainly, he didn’t predict getting several fingers stuffed into his mouth. Despite the odd request, he sucked on them obediently. The sight of Therion’s wet lips wrapped around his fingers was nearly enough to totally send Darius over the edge. He wanted to push Therion further, wanted to see what more he could get him to do.

“Didn’t know you could be such a slut, Therion,” he teased, the eagerness with which Therion accepted his challenges amusing him thoroughly.

Therion didn’t say anything, instead using his unoccupied hand to grab Darius’ forearm. He gagged suddenly as he shoved Darius’ fingers down to the knuckle in his mouth. Now Darius was the one with the shocked expression, staring in awe at the display. He felt heat rising within him and began thrusting into Therion’s hand as he heard him gag and watched spit run down his chin. It seemed to Therion that he’d found another one of Darius’ sweet spots. He liked choking… and it just so happened that he liked being choked.

A rustling noise came from the woods, bringing Therion to his senses. He gripped Darius’ forearm and emptied his mouth.

“What was that?” he asked worriedly.

Darius pointed out the source of the disturbance without even lifting his head to look. Therion turned his neck to look and noticed a small racoon snooping around for a meal. But the interruption allowed the logical part of his mind to rein him in a little.

“You know… Anatoly’s sleeping a stone’s throw away right now.”

“What’s that got to do with anythin’?” Darius didn’t avert his gaze from Therion, nuzzling his face against his neck to try and regain his attention.

“I’m saying… you don’t think this position would be a little suspicious if he were to walk out of that tent right now?” Darius raised an eyebrow. He considered it for a moment and agreed that he would have no chance of explaining why he was on top of Therion with his fingers down his throat and his cock in his hand. It would be glaringly obvious that they were up to something.

“Hmm, I suppose you’re right.” Darius sat up, freeing Therion from underneath him. They both straightened themselves up, Therion wiping saliva off his chin, Darius lacing his trousers.

Darius stood up and stretched, yawning loudly. It just occurred to him that their current situation regarding sleep was going to be a little complicated. After all, Anatoly was expecting that each man would take a three-hour shift to watch over the campsite so they’d all get six hours of sleep. But here they were, in the middle of the night, having gotten nothing more than a measly half an hour. Darius weighed his options. He figured that Therion must have been more tired than he was, considering the things he’d just done to him.

“Eh mate!” Darius beckoned.

“Hm?” Therion responded, his voice groggy from lack of sleep.

“You go ahead an’ rest yourself. I’ll watch over camp.”

Therion felt pleased at this small display of kindness on Darius’ part. He felt no need to insist otherwise, gracefully accepting Darius’ offer and preparing himself for bed. Since Anatoly was sound asleep inside the tent and he was worried about waking him (and of arousing suspicion) he laid down on the soft grass of their campsite and used the log Darius sat on as a sort of makeshift pillow. It wasn’t luxurious by any means, but they couldn’t afford a tired coachman. He figured he could get more rest in the cart tomorrow. Although he had for sleep, he found it difficult to doze off. The events of the night were playing back in his mind, over and over again.

Resigning himself for the night, Darius waited until Therion wasn’t in his line of sight to finish what they’d started earlier. He hadn’t really managed a release and was beginning to feel pent up. When Therion laid down, he pulled out his still-erect cock and began rubbing it. Mustering as much strength as he could, he kept silent as he stroked himself, covering his mouth with his other hand. He wanted to finish himself off quickly so he could dispel any more homoerotic feelings, that all-too-familiar feeling of shame waging a war in his mind.

Darius tugged at his cock roughly and haphazardly, doing his best to reach orgasm as fast as possible. But as time wore on, he realized he wasn’t really getting anywhere. He allowed his thoughts to drift, and soon he was recalling his recent misadventures with Therion. The memory of fucking him, how tightly his asshole wrapped around his cock, how he spread his legs apart to invite him it, how they kissed so passionately… Within seconds he felt virile again, his cock leaking precum at the simple thought of Therion’s lust-filled face. And again, a wave of shame crashed over him, threatening to entirely snuff out his arousal. This time, he resolved against it. He allowed himself if not for a brief moment to have those feelings.

An odd noise echoed from the surrounding area. Therion, not quite asleep yet, sat up quietly to scout. As he roused, the sound grew more distinct. They were moans. Therion blushed profusely as he realized what was going on. Darius was behind him masturbating. He smirked and deciding he wouldn’t let him do that.

“Hey, Darius.” he turned around and said in the smuggest voice he could muster. Which, for the record, was _very_ smug.

Despite his embarrassment, Darius tried his best to play it cool. What he was doing was completely obvious, so instead of trying to hide it, he went and admitted it outright.

“Ya caught me at a bad time,” he replied with a joking tone.

Therion crawled over and kneeled between Darius’ legs, and laid his head on his lap. He looked up at him, eyes half-lidded.

“You don’t have to do it yourself. Let me…” He wrapped his hand around Darius’ cock, looking him in the eyes as he stroked it slowly. Therion’s gaze pierced straight through Darius, somehow seeming both intense and gentle at once.

Darius felt no desire to protest, graciously accepting the help. He stared down at his partner, watching intently as his deft hands handled his cock. Therion smiled up at him and squeezed it a little tighter, earning a moan from his lips.

“Sit next to me,” Darius insisted, helping his partner up so they sat next to each other on the log. From behind, it would just look like they were watching the campfire together. Of course, from the front it wasn’t so innocuous.

Darius sighed, his red tresses falling over his shoulders as he leaned his head against his partner. Taking that as encouragement, Therion began stroking him faster. He paused briefly to spit into his palm, using the saliva as a makeshift lubricant.

“Fffuuck,” Darius cried out, thrusting upwards into Therion’s slick hand. He pressed as much of his body as he could against him, desperate for physical contact despite the circumstances. Therion looked to his side, the expression of pleasure on Darius’ face filling him with satisfaction. He nuzzled Darius’ neck as he stroked him, allowing his lips to graze the skin there.

“How is it…?” Therion asked.

“Feels… feels good.” Darius replied between pants. He found it increasingly difficult to form coherent sentences, lust overwhelming his mental faculties. Therion kissed his neck and he felt himself tense up, a stinging feeling of shame preventing him from enjoying it fully. “I’m close, Therion.”

In response, Therion bent down quickly, swallowing the tip of Darius’ cock and continuing to rub it. It took only a few more strokes before Darius was lured to climax, a loud groan erupting from his chest as he spilled cum into Therion’s mouth.

“Haaahh…” Darius thrusted gently a few times into Therion’s mouth as he came, the orgasm rolling through his entire body.

Therion pulled back, the white liquid leaking slightly through his lips. He grabbed Darius’ knees in each hand and looked up at him while swallowing it all, opening his mouth afterwards to demonstrate that he’d done so. Darius decided to store that visual in his mind for later.

“Well, that’s that.” Therion said in his characteristic snarky tone and crawled back around the log to lay down. Although he felt tempted to stick around and chat with Darius, he felt sleep deprivation kicking in. He didn’t want to risk saying anything stupid in his increasingly tired state of mind.

Darius watched Therion intently as he prepared to rest. As he laid down to sleep, he felt it necessary to say something.

“Thanks, Therion. Life would be borin’ without ya.”

“Same goes for you, Darius.” Within seconds of responding, Therion had apparently dozed off.

Darius sat alone in near complete darkness now, contemplating what he was doing. That same guilt was rearing its ugly head again. He remembered what Therion said to him earlier. Things build up after a while, right?

It didn’t mean anything. They were both just trying to get off. Darius reassured himself, noting that he couldn’t be gay if he was the one on top anyways. He was just lonely on the road and needed a hole to satisfy his sexual needs. As far as his cock was concerned it didn’t matter if that hole belonged to a woman or a man. So why should he think any more of it?

Darius turned around to check on Therion, as if his thoughts were so loud he might wake him. But he was fast asleep. He observed Therion's sleeping face and smiled to himself. He looked really… cute. **FUCK**.

Why did he just think that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there we have it. Updates are not going to be as frequent as they were when I first started writing (at least, not for a while) because I have shit to deal with in real life. My semester is starting up next week and I need to move into a new place. Once again, thanks a lot for the positive feedback! 
> 
> I'd like to note that last chapter we were at 200 hits, and now we're at 300. Pretty neat!


	8. Predator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Therion can't catch a break even when he just wants to take a bath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty short, I originally intended for it to be a record of the entire day for Therion and Darius but I realized the chapter was getting too long and it would've been better for me to cut it off here. Which means the next chapter does have a decent amount of progress on it. So, yeah, basically, you should be able to expect the next chapter coming out within the week, assuming school doesn't obliterate me.

If he could send the sun to hell where it could spend eternity burning with the rest of the underworld’s unholy fire, he would. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a god and didn’t hold any power over such things. Darius was woken by the dawn’s early light blinding him, muttering curses under his breath. The events of the previous night had left him with little time for sleep, and the sun itself just seemed to taunt him further by stealing away his opportunity for decent rest.

Therion was resting on the other side of the log, chance had been kind enough to protect him from the brightness of the morning sun’s rays. While Darius felt jealous that he still seemed to be sleeping like a rock, he decided against disturbing his rest. Instead, he noted that the air was chilly and adjusted Therion’s scarf on his body to keep his hands warm as he slept, their red colour indicating the effect of the cold winds.

Despite being tired, Darius decided to prepare a small meal for everyone at the campsite. After all, he had plenty of time to rest in the cart so he couldn’t complain. He picked out a large branch that had fallen from a nearby tree and used his dagger to sharpen it into a spear. Satisfied with his work, he marched off to that same pond from yesterday, intent on catching a trout or carp for breakfast.

There was a narrow stream feeding the pond, its water filtering through pebbles strewn about the surface. It trickled quietly through the forest, leading Darius on a path through coniferous trees and sun-starved ferns to a wider green river. He smiled to himself as he saw several carp swimming close to the bank. Spear in hand, he crept closer, careful to not make any sudden movements.

An odd dream stirred him, his otherwise peaceful sleep interrupted by amalgamated memories of his childhood. While he couldn’t remember precisely what he dreamt of, he knew that whatever it was filled him with a sense of dread. He sat up from his supine position and rubbed his hands together to warm them. The sun had only barely risen, tinges of orange still colouring the sky. Despite the early hour, Therion noted that Darius was nowhere to be seen after quickly scanning the campsite. He noticed a few footprints leading through the woods and followed them. His curiosity piqued, Therion supposed that Darius must have gone off to fetch something to eat before it was time to get moving.

Darius noticed that the carp were gathered around a patch of silt at the edge of the river and were feeding intently. It was the perfect time to strike. He readied his spear and assumed his stance, aiming at the nearest carp and striking in one swift motion. His frustration mounted when he missed, as he misjudged the depth at which the fish swam. The carp swam away, spooked by the attack. He turned around to find another spot along the river but was greeted by Therion smirking at him from behind a bush.

“Bastard,” he said in jest, “I can’t be catchin’ fish when you give me that stupid face!”

Therion approached him and grabbed his spear, guiding his stance. “See, your shoulders are too tense and it’s slowing your reaction time.” He squeezed his shoulders and Darius was surprised to feel how much tension escaped them from a simple gesture.

“Do you mind if I take this?” Therion asked. Darius simply nodded in response, curious about what he was going to teach.

Darius handed his spear over to Therion, who assumed his self-developed spearing stance. “The trick to using a spear is you need to strike quickly.” He demonstrated by thrusting the spear forward, miming an attack. “In combat, you can’t afford to let an opponent grab hold of your spear. When hunting, you can’t afford to let game dodge. Same principle, really,” he went on, showing off several striking stances throughout his explanation.

The fish that had been scared off earlier now began swimming back towards the shore, presumably because the nutrient-rich silt deposit was too irresistible. Sensing an opportunity, Therion moved in closer. His skills as a thief were remarkably applicable to hunting. He seemed to move through the forest as silently and inconspicuously as a shadow, the sounds of his footsteps being hardly audible. With a graceful motion, he arrived to the water’s edge without alerting a single fish. He held Darius’ spear in his hands and struck quickly, lifting it out of the water to reveal an impaled carp. Smiling widely, he walked back toward Darius and handed him the spear back.

“The key to spearing fish is correcting for the water’s distortion. Don’t blindly trust your sight.”

Darius grimaced at Therion’s little attempt at being clever and retrieved his spear. He followed the advice and prepared to strike at the fish. Even though they must have known they were putting themselves in harm’s way, they kept coming back regardless. Darius scoffed at the stupidity of such creatures. Shouldn’t they know better?

His train of thought was interrupted when he found the perfect chance to strike. A lone carp with silver scales was nibbling at algae growing on a stone. Its shine attracted Darius’ attention. Carefully aiming his spear this time, he struck with lightning fast speed. He lifted it out of the water to realize it was much larger than he anticipated, and its entire body convulsed with the fervour of an animal desperately trying to survive.

Struggling to fight against it, Darius gripped his spear with both hands and brought it away from its underwater habitat. The life slowly drained from the creature, as its violent spasming soon quieted to occasional twitching.

“…Dunno if I’m cut out for this, Therion,” he said, looking consternated. He wasn’t expecting his food to put up such a fight.

Therion smiled at the grim face he put on, trying to comfort him. “You’ll get the hang of it. They aren’t normally so large.”

Darius nodded and carried the spear back to the campsite, Therion following along closely. When they arrived, Anatoly had prepared a small fire around a flat rock to grill the meal on.

“How did you know we would bring back fish?” Therion asked.

“I didn’t. I was going to get some,” he replied. If he pleased that he wouldn’t have to do that now, he certainly didn’t let it show. The man’s weary face rarely showed signs of emotion. Therion analyzed him carefully, but still, nothing.

Darius grinned boldly and tossed the fish down onto the rock. “Ya ain’t gotta do nothin’ since we gotcha covered, old man.”

“I’m not old,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“Term of endearment.” Therion explained in Darius’ place.

“Don’t endear yourselves to me.”

Therion gulped when he noticed Darius’ irritated expression. He was used to seeing that look, and it rarely was followed by anything other than violence. Once again, he had to be the one to defuse the situation. He patted Darius on the back to attract his attention and gave him a docile gaze to calm him down. Despite feeling angry, Darius felt bad for making his partner worry and held back. Therion flipped the carp over, revealing the seared flesh on the underside. The sight made Darius’ mouth water and he quickly forgot what had vexed him.

The smell of the sizzling fish permeated the area, filling everyone’s nostrils with its delicious aroma. Within a few more minutes, breakfast was ready. The three of them split the fish and ate eagerly, a long day of traveling awaiting them. The sun had fully risen, and Therion judged it must have been around eight o’clock based on the shadows it cast. It was soon time to be on their way.

A small emaciated racoon and her three kits scurried out of the woods, seemingly attracted by that same scent. Since they’d all had their fill, the leftovers went to her. Darius was surprised by how quickly the four of them gobbled the rest of the food. Although he figured that he shouldn’t have been. After all, every animal is necessarily a slave to its basic needs. Even humans.

Anatoly prepared his horse for the journey, tacking her up and tying the cart to its harness. He took extra time to soothe her, gently petting the side of her neck. Therion and Darius climbed into the back, preparing themselves for the long day of riding that awaited them. The coachman mounted his Galloway and commanded her to get moving. Her gait quickened and the cart that the two men sat in jolted and bumped along with the uneven forest floor.

Darius laid down in the cart, and soon managed to fall asleep despite the rather discordant ride they were on. Although he was tired, Therion was a light sleeper and couldn’t get the same respite his partner was. He tossed and turned, trying as he might to fall asleep in the same way. The cart soon arrived to a more-traveled path, and the relative peace was all he could hope for. He took advantage and napped shortly.

He awoke in what felt like only ten minutes. His sleep interrupted, he was feeling ready to take out his crankiness on someone. However, he desisted when he realized Darius was waking him on Anatoly’s behalf. He walked around to check on their coachman while the cursed man who woke him ran off to a pier on the lake. Anatoly had a brush in hand, cleaning his small and loyal steed.

“I stopped here to give Straw a wash. You two are welcome to do the same.” He turned around and continued scrubbing his pony’s yellow fur, too occupied to pay much attention to his customers.

Darius looked out onto the lake, an excited glimmer in his eye. He quickly disrobed, tossing his cuirass and undershirt on the ground near a tree. His trousers followed, and Therion averted his gaze at the sight of Darius’ nude body. Without a moment of hesitation, he ran across the short pier and dove into the lake with wild laughter. He splashed about and beckoned Therion to follow him in. Being the shyer of the two, he waited to take off his clothes until he reached the edge of the pier, slouching and covering his nether regions with his hands.

He was greeted by a splash of water to the face. When he swept his soaked hair away from his face, he shot daggers at the culprit.

“You’re on!” he challenged Darius, a mischievous look in his eyes. His provocation was met with nothing but another splash.

“Try it, ya bastard!” Darius replied, Therion’s silent anger leading him to assume he had already been victorious.

Little did he know, Therion had been plotting his downfall. He kicked a clump of seaweed to Darius’ feet, who squirmed in shock at the unwelcome sensation. Upon figuring out that clever little scheme, he decided to use brute force. He grabbed Therion’s wrists and pulled them to his sides, disarming him. However, after seeing his reaction, he conceded he might have been the one who was truly disarmed.

Therion didn’t seem to be fighting back the same way he used to, instead allowing Darius to pin his wrists back and staring back with an odd expression on his face. Was it fear? Anticipation? Or something else entirely? Darius felt entirely bewildered. He expected a more equal match, but he was soon granted what he originally wanted. Therion struggled against his grip, successfully releasing one of his hands and using it to splash more water. He giggled as Darius grabbed him again and tossed him into the water.

The playfulness of their wrestling betrayed a deeper instinct within Darius. He watched as Therion stood back up, the lake’s water dripping along his skin. He felt a heat rising within him that he hadn’t felt before, or at the very least, hadn’t ever really acknowledged. Bathing in the nude with Therion was rather routine for him and he must have seen him naked at least hundreds of times. Yet it had all been entirely re-contextualized for him now, for better or for worse. Now, his body was evoking memories of that night more than anything else. He found himself zoning out constantly as they wrestled, and it seemed Therion caught on that his attention was divided.

“Hey, Darius,” he waved his hand in front of his face aggressively.

The gesture caused Darius to snap back to reality, suddenly aware that Therion had knocked him to the shallow water’s surface while they roughhoused. He took advantage of his seated position to study his partners naked body as inconspicuously as he could manage. Seeing Therion’s thighs made him remember how they looked when he’d held them apart and fucked him. Watching Therion’s lips move as he spoke just reminded him of how they looked wrapped around his cock.

He smiled wickedly and stood himself up, knowing full well that Therion had no inkling of what he must be thinking now. He was imagining Therion in various situations, pinned to the floor with his hands tied back, or choking on his cock with spit running down his chest. In his mind’s eye, he saw all the things he’d like to do to the man in front of him. Meanwhile, Therion was hopping around and splashing in the water, none the wiser. It felt so wrong to be thinking such lecherous things about his partner, his friend — but that just made it all the more exciting.

Therion had begun doing what they’d originally gotten into the lake to do. He was scrubbing his body, focusing in particular on certain problem areas. Darius smirked, eager to exploit his inattention. Finding the perfect moment to strike, he grabbed both of Therion’s arms and turned him around. He pushed him to the edge of the lake and tossed him face-first to the ground. He climbed on top of his back and held his arms together behind his back, using one of his hands to keep them there. With his other hand, he pinned Therion’s face down in the sand, watching for his reaction.

A chill ran down his spine when he realized that he wasn’t even trying to fight back. Therion would never have allowed himself to be caught off guard in such a way. The two of them were silent as they both contemplated what was happening. If it were up to Darius, he would hold Therion down and fuck him where they stand, his desire only being reined in by the fact that the coachman was in their line of sight. He relented and released Therion from his grip, who stood to wipe the wet sand off of his belly.

“What was that all about?” Therion asked in an _extremely_ irritated tone of voice.

“Just wanted to test ya.”

“Test? What are you talking about?”

“Stay sharp!” he replied, pinching one of Therion’s cheeks and chuckling.

Therion simply pouted in response and waded back into the lake to finish washing up. Darius watched him intently as he turned around, taking in the sight. He felt suddenly aware of several things. Firstly, he liked Therion a lot more than he was willing to admit to himself. Secondly, he liked _dominating_ Therion a lot more than he was willing to admit. And finally, he knew that he **needed** to fuck Therion tonight.

He looked down for a moment and realized he had a much more pressing issue to deal with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that. If you want to psychoanalyze me for this chapter, yes, I did write in the spear with the intent that it could be viewed as a phallic metaphor. After all, I am an Elder Scrolls fan.
> 
> In other news, I've moved in to my new place and all that. Updates should (hopefully?) be more frequent again since I'm basically trapped inside doing nothing besides school and work and wanking about online. It's 3 in the morning (as is usually the time when my horrible brain is stricken with creative energy) so I can think of nothing clever to write here. The new chapter should hopefully be up this weekend unless I decide I would rather take edibles and play Mario Kart instead.


	9. Petty Thieves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darius has a lot of fucking problems to confront. Therion just sits around and looks pretty mostly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter here. As my notes for last chapter indicated I got high as fuck yesterday (the edibles still haven't entirely worn off) and played Mario Kart all night so this chapter is shorter than I normally aim for. But "enjoy" this emo chapter. I've started hinting at some of the backstory for Darius which I entirely invented myself and none of this is even alluded to being the case in the game but hey I can extrapolate a little right?

In a secluded area of the woods, Darius squatted down under a tree. Exasperated, he resolved to deal with his problem quickly. He wrapped his hand around his cock roughly and wasted no time. While he was at half-mast, it grew quickly with a few strokes. It was rather embarrassing that he could be so easily affected by what wasn’t even intended as eroticism.

The silence of the woods left him alone with his thoughts, and his mind wandered as he tried to stroke himself to finish. He felt as though he were regarding himself in the third person, evaluating the series of choices he must have made to arrive where he is now. Jerking himself off under a tree because he was wrestling with his friend. He winced now, a series of scolding voices in his head getting louder as he neared orgasm. Rising to the level of cacophony, making it hard for him to think straight. That same cruelty reared its head, again and again despite how hard he tried to repress it, ignore it and just cum.

But he couldn’t, and he knew he couldn’t.

The Holy Sister’s holy bullshit echoed in his mind. He remembered how he’d been whipped for that one night. When he kissed that other boy—and—well they—but she—she found out somehow. And the proselytizing lessons stretched long into the night, and he was under “special surveillance” for months afterwards. He remembered the disapproving looks the sisters at the orphanage gave him. That his food rations were cut until he personally apologized to that bitch—the Holy Sister—and he got down on his knees and begged forgiveness. He went hungry for over two weeks. Over one kiss. He resolved then that it would never be worth it and that he would never involve himself with romance of any kind, let alone… with a man. Let alone with his best friend.

It wasn’t exactly the most erotic thing to be thinking about. The painful memories killed his mood, his erect penis reverting to its flaccid state.

“Eh, for the better really,” he muttered to himself and stood up.

While he felt relieved that he could go back and finish up his bath before arousing suspicion, it was marred by the realization that he had wounds to confront. What he’d thought scarred over years ago, what was in the past, was still on his mind. Haunting him, an unwelcome presence crushing his spirit and threatening to ruin the closest thing to a real companionship he’d ever had. He clenched his fist in anger. He was angry that he’d had this shit drilled into his mind. Angry that he never got his way. Yet one source of rage rose above them all. He was angry that he felt this way for Therion.

Upon his quick return, Therion shot him a questioning look as if to ask where he’d been off to. He shrugged in response, indicating he wasn’t going to explain it. That didn’t seem to bother his partner, who went right back to scrubbing under his arms. Darius observed him for a bit before doing the same, washing off the forest’s mud from his feet and thighs. He pondered what his approach to this entire predicament should be. Would it be possible to hit the brakes now, to pretend like him and Therion had never done anything? He snuck a few glances in Therion’s direction and felt that same feeling stirring within him again. His chest tightened, an odd warmth filling it when his friend shot him a pleasant smile.

Well, that’s not an option.

Maybe he was just going to have to confront those demons of his past. His mind recoiled at the thought. It was… scary. He had no idea how to go about doing such a thing. But… It might be for the best. After all, if he was going to get anywhere in his life there was no way he could continue carrying that baggage from his time in the orphanage. Not if he was going to achieve his ultimate goals.

His train of thought was interrupted when Therion walked slowly out of the lake. He decided to follow along, dressing himself alongside his partner and marching back to where the cart had stopped. Anatoly had finished grooming his horse and had apparently already bathed as well, his wet hair being the only obvious indicator that he did so. Neither of the men noticed him leave his horse, although they chalked it up to their own distracted states. Darius scolded himself. An acute sense of awareness was one of the most valuable skills in a thief’s arsenal, and, well, he allowed himself to let his guard down. He vowed to be more cautious next time, that thought being immediately contradicted by his prior resolution to fuck Therion **tonight**.

Wait. What was he thinking?

Darius pressed his fingertips to his temples and intentionally evoked memories of the Holy Sister’s discipline. That pain and humiliation he felt. That lesson that had been drilled into his mind. Did he really want to deal with that? Was it worth it? He looked back up at his surroundings, noticed how Therion was already getting into the cart and the coachman was glaring at him impatiently. Darius was there one second but the next he was gone again. Anatoly’s face grew distorted in his eyes and his impatient look turned into a disapproving one. He didn’t know if he was imagining it or not but he could’ve sworn he saw his features morph into those of the Sister. She was everywhere now, watching his every move, scrutinizing his behaviour. Every citizen of the damned continent wore her face around him, those chiding glares, that quiet distaste. His fist clenched.

Before he could fall any further into that pit, he felt a gentle rub on his shoulder. Therion.

“Hey, Darius, you ready to go?” he asked, a sweet concern in his voice.

Trying his best to act like he wasn’t going crazy, Darius responded with a gleeful smile. “For damn sure!” He patted his friend on the back casually and hopped into the cart.

“Y’know, Tolik says we’ll be in the Sunlands soon enough.” Therion pointed out.

“Tolik?”

“That’s the coachman’s nickname.”

“Ya found about that how?”

“He told me.”

“Since when ‘ave you been talkin’ enough with him to know that?” Darius asked, his tone betraying a slight jealousy.

“You know, you might want to get better at making allies out of people. Just a tip.”

Darius simply folded his arms and frowned in response. He didn’t feel much interest in challenging anything Therion said and acquiesced.

“Therion,” he replied, wrapping his arm around his partners shoulder and pulling him closer, “there’s only one ally I’m in need of.” He patted himself on the back for what he viewed as good flirting but was disappointed when Therion just scoffed in response. In a second attempt to get his partner to lighten up, he tried to get their conversation back on topic.

“So what about the Sunlands?”

“Well, it’ll be harder to find decent camping grounds there. It gets cold in the desert night. We’re gonna have to stay in an inn when we arrive.”

“That’s no problem then, right mate?”

“Well, actually, it is.”

Darius remembered the conversation they had before the trip but only vaguely. Therion did mention something about not wanting to sell the goods they stole until they got to Wellspring.

“How are we gonna pay for it if we don’t pawn nothin’?”

“I’ll figure something out.” Therion tried to assure Darius, but the uncertainty in his voice didn’t do much to help. He weighed their options. They might have to concede and sell at least one piece of jewelry. But doing so would cause them to lose out on potential thousands of extra leaves. He calculated for a bit longer before burying his face in his hands out of frustration and sighing loudly.

“Let’s leave the worryin’ to the future. We may as well enjoy the now!” Darius grinned widely and tilted his head up toward the sky, where the sun was beginning to set over the wooded path through the forest they were taking.

Therion nodded silently and returned a smile, leaning ever so closer to his partner in crime. Their hands brushed against each other, and while they both noticed, neither of them cared to move them. Instead, Darius found himself enjoying the contact and soon inched his hand to clasp over Therion’s. He looked down nervously at the floor of the cart as he reciprocated and they began holding hands. It was a small, unremarkable gesture, but it was exactly for that reason that Darius felt a pang in his chest. The world was a dark, unrepentantly evil place. He didn’t trust anyone, could never even get close enough to someone to get anything even mimicking tenderness out of them. And if having this peaceful moment meant the Holy Sister’s face would soon come back to haunt him, he was willing to take that risk.

Or was he? Doubt crept in his mind again. He looked at his hand which now held Therion’s in its grasp. Under the cover of the ambient noise and birdsong echoing from the twilit forest, he hummed a short melody to himself. It was his way of soothing himself when he felt fear, the only memory he had of his mother before she went off to war. He squeezed his eyes shut in quiet mourning and reopened them to look at Therion, who seemed rather enthralled by the silver and red linings of the clouds as the sun set.

For a while longer, he simply observed him in quiet admiration. How soft his curly silver hair looked, how his boyish youthful features were fading to reveal the mature adult underneath them, how pink his lips looked as his mouth hung half open in awe at the dusk sky. Gods be damned, he was something beautiful. Darius thought about himself. He felt like a monster sometimes and compared to Therion he definitely was. How he wished he could just absolve himself of all his stupid thoughts and just become what the Holy Sister wanted him to be. He didn’t deserve something beautiful.

But he was a thief, and he was going to take it anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic just gets longer and longer. We haven't even gotten to Wellspring yet! I blame LOTR on my excessively detailed travel writing.
> 
> Despite the emo-ness of this chapter the next chapter will definitely have a sex scene (spoiler alert: it's not a spoiler because I said it multiple times in this chapter). I am just writing a story about depressed horny guys. You'd think I have enough of being that in my daily life but I guess not!


	10. There Will Be No Tenderness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hunt for food goes totally wrong, or totally right depending on your perspective. Emotionally frustrated men fuck in the badlands. I subtly reference Greek mythology because I'm a prick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took way longer than I was expecting, but I believe it's also the longest chapter I've written so far. I rewrote the sex scene three times because I didn't like the first two versions, which made this take longer as well. ...Enjoy, perverts.

The back-and-forth bumping of the cart they sat in became less erratic as the coachman whoaed the horse to a standstill. A cold chill swept Darius’ hair into his face, and Therion noted it was a clear sign that they were almost to the Riverlands now. The normally impenetrably dense forest had given way to sparser lands where the wind could blow freely. Judging by the mesas in the distance, they were in the little patch of Cliftlands that separated the forests from the Riverlands. It would take less than a day to pass through this area to get to the Sunlands despite the terrain, thanks to the dirt paths and bridges that merchant caravans had carved through here. His moment of quiet consternation was interrupted by Darius’ angered sputtering when some of his hair was caught in his mouth.

“So are you gonna cut that anytime soon?” Therion asked smugly, not even trying to hide his amusement.

Darius narrowed his eyes and swept his hair back. “Fuck no, mate! I’m thinkin’ my hair makes me quite handsome. The ladies like it!” he guffawed.

“The ladies, huh.” Therion muttered quiet enough so Anatoly wouldn’t hear, but Darius would.

“You’re one ta talk anyhow,” Darius said while running his hands through Therion’s hair. “Soon enough your shaggy mop is gonna blind ya!”

“Hmph, whatever.” Therion patted his hair to get it back to his just-messy-enough look. He supposed Darius was right, his hair was getting too long. He was planning on fixing it eventually, however. “Well, I’m cutting mine soon enough. You should do the same. Your long red hair is pretty obvious, and we deal in stealth, right?”

“Don’t try to tell me nothin’ about stealth! I’m a damn better sneak than you, an’ we both know it.”

Therion scoffed. “You keep telling yourself that and you’ll get sloppy.”

Anatoly interrupted their bickering when he waved Therion down, holding the yet-to-be pitched tent in his hands.

“Mr. Terrion and…” he trailed off because he didn’t remember Darius’ name, instead addressing him with a single nod. “Will you two go find us a meal? I’ll ready the campsite.”

Darius chuckled at Anatoly’s pronunciation of his partners name, but Therion didn’t seem to mind at all. “Of course, Tolik. It might take a while to catch something here, though. It’s not like the Woodlands.”

The coachman nodded with understanding. “Take your time. I’ll be resting, wake me if I’ve fallen asleep.”

And with that, the two men went off into the evening to find a sufficient meal. Neither of them visited the Cliftlands very often, since the residents were generally poor and there was rarely stuff worth stealing. They knew that Quarrycrest had active mining operations but it was more profitable to rob the caravans transporting the excavated jewels since they carried other valuables with them, rather than the miners who were more trouble than it was worth. However, their current situation left them wishing they were more familiar with the area. Neither of them knew what the best hunting strategy would be here, where the forest was too thin to rely on its cover, but there were still too many trees for marksmanship to be of much use.

They continued walking further, hoping to chance upon some easy prey. The tall grasses gave way to shallow soil covered in stubby foliage. Darius noticed pink seed pods in a nearby tree and felt curious. He began approaching it but before he could get close enough to observe Therion stretched out his arm and blocked his path.

“Wait. That’s catclaw acacia,” he warned.

“And?”

“It’s covered in thorns, idiot.”

“What’s a bit of wood to a man like me? Ya might forget, Therion, but I’m of no frail constitution like you.” Darius replied with a snide grin.

“Suit yourself. While you eat bitter seed pods I’ll be over there eating fruit.” Therion said, pointing to a nearby pomegranate tree.

Darius grit his teeth and followed his partner over to the frankly better option. The tree bore vibrant red fruit, their glossy surfaces peering out from the cover of green and brown leaves. They took a moment to admire it together, a rare tranquility cloaking Darius’ spirit as he contemplated its form. Therion approached the trunk and ran his hands along its surface, trying to find the perfect spot to begin his climb.

Now that Therion had his grasp on the tree, he stretched his foot up onto it, using the other to jump and propel himself upward. He folded his right leg so he was partially kneeling on the branch, while his left leg was left pressed against the trunk to keep him steady as he reached out to pick the pomegranates off the branch. He looked down to see if Darius was under him, assuming he would be able to deduce that he was going to knock down the fruit so he could catch them. Much to his dismay, he seemed to be totally zoned out.

While Therion had been climbing up the tree, Darius had been distracted by something. The position of Therion’s legs and the angle he’d been watching him from just so happened to make his ass stick out. Darius stared lecherously as the fabric of his trousers stretched tightly against his ass. He watched intently as Therion shifted about in the tree, seemingly unaware of the effect he was having on him. His mind began drifting off to other places, but that was soon interrupted by a shout from above, and a pomegranate falling squarely on his head. Darius rubbed his head and looked up to find the source of the disturbance. It was Therion, fish-eating grin on his face in response to his visible irritation.

“Pay attention, stupid. I called your name three times.”

“Maybe if ya didn’t speak like a mouse!” Darius retorted. Therion just shook his head and dropped more pomegranates down for him to grab. They both quietly acknowledged that bickering wasn’t going to get them anywhere, so they conceded and simply collaborated to gather fruit. Within a few minutes, Darius held so many in his arms that one fell from his grasp, landing in a soft patch of grass. He whistled to Therion, signaling that it was time to move on. In response, Therion hopped down from the tree and landed effortlessly on his feet as if it were second nature.

“How’m I supposed ta carry all this, now?” Darius complained.

He got an answer he wasn’t expecting when Therion unwrapped his scarf and took off his poncho, exposing his torso where his skin was barely concealed by the thin white shirt he wore underneath. He folded the fabric into a makeshift sack and opened it for Darius to fill it, then using the scarf to tie it off.

“Clever,” Darius complimented.

They continued through the arid landscape, Therion swinging the bag of fruit over his shoulder. The sun was having its last hurrah, and as they walked the sky above them turned to a deeper and darker blue. Darius felt his stomach grumble and he rubbed it to soothe himself. He glared at Therion as he marched on without him, feeling hopeless in his current predicament.

“What sorta shite are we lookin’ for, mate?”

“There might be some mule deer around. I suppose we gotta catch one while its asleep.” Therion surmised.

“Can I munch on a fruit now? I’m damn starvin’!”

“Not yet. Be patient.”

“Just one!”

“…Fine.”

Therion scanned the environment for a place to sit down and eat, and spotted a nearby patch of soft-looking grass surrounded by short bushes. He pointed in its direction and Darius followed him eagerly. With a loud sigh, he set the bag down and sat next to it. His partner joined him, not even waiting for his approval before untying the scarf and grabbing a pomegranate for them each.

“See, no harm done.” Darius said, grinning excitedly at the prospect of food. Therion scoffed and used his dagger to slice both of their fruits open, the sticky juice leaking on his fingers. He licked them clean, reasonably upset when Darius started giggling childishly at the act.

“Man, fuck you.” he growled.

Darius tore his pomegranate into quarters and took a bite. “You wanna?” he replied suggestively.

Therion just laughed at him in response, trying his best to wound his partner’s feelings a little. Not that he was trying to provoke him, but he felt his arrogance had to be knocked down a peg. Darius joined his laughter with an exaggeratedly fake cackle, not-so-subtly mocking him. He whipped his head toward Therion and crawled forward, invading his personal space.

“Back off.” Therion said assertively.

“Or what?” Darius challenged.

Therion shoved him away, causing him to land on his back. “Or that.”

However, that was Therion’s first mistake. Darius wasn’t one to give up so easily. He grabbed hold of one of Therion’s wrists and twisted it, his face being assailed by a punch in return.

“Bastard! That hurt!” Darius said, rubbing his sore cheekbone.

Therion held his arms up in front of his face in a fighting stance. “You’re on.”

Neither of them were going to back down. Darius crawled over to Therion and grabbed both of his arms, trying to bend them to the side and leave his chest vulnerable. He managed to pry them apart, yet it proved fruitless when Therion pushed him down to the ground and straddled him. The two of them started laughing as they play-fought, wrestling their arms together in an attempt to gain the upper hand.

Darius bucked his knees to get Therion’s weight off him. Taking his window of opportunity, he flipped Therion over and got on top of him, pinning his arms to the ground.

“I win.” Darius boasted, narrowing his eyes at his competition.

“Nope,” Therion insisted, struggling against Darius’ grasp, “you don’t!”

In response to his partners attempt to break free, Darius pressed his body weight further onto him, crushing his hips. Therion’s eyes widened as he felt an increasingly familiar body part press against him.

“You pervert!” he teased, trying to wriggle away from Darius.

“Don’t act like you don’t like it.” Darius retorted, nearing his face to that of the man underneath him.

“Fine then. I won’t.” Therion replied, reaching his head up to press his lips against Darius’. He reciprocated, letting go of Therion’s arms and running his fingers through his hair as the kiss grew more fervent. Taking advantage of his finally freed hands, Therion hugged Darius and flipped him over, getting on top of him in a single swift motion.

Despite the shift in power, Darius was again distracted by Therion’s lips to try and regain his position. Silver hair fell in cascades around their faces as Therion leaned over him. He let himself surrender, opening his mouth wider to allow him to slip his tongue in. It was almost like being in heaven, Therion’s lips were so soft and his mouth so hot that he felt his cock strain painfully against his trousers, desperate to be released.

Therion pulled back, looking down on the man whose chest he was sitting on. He decided it was time that he be the one to service for a change. He began unlacing his trousers and slid closer to Darius’ face, not bothering to disguise his intentions. Darius looked up at him utterly confused when he was presented with a faceful of crotch.

“Wha-“

“Your turn.” Therion said.

“Ya fuckin’ prat, as if I’d do that?”

“I did it for you. You owe me.” Therion insisted.

Darius blinked his eyes confusedly. It seemed that Therion managed to import his typical feisty behaviour into this situation, of all things. He had to admit, he wasn’t nearly as put off by the idea of giving him a blowjob as he felt he should’ve been. As if Therion sensed this acceptance, he pulled his cock out and presented it to Darius’ face, a droplet of precum already leaking from the engorged thing. Out of sheer curiosity, he licked it off, trying to gauge Therion’s reaction. A quiet moan was enough encouragement he needed to keep going. He wrapped his lips around the tip, sucking on it apprehensively.

Therion unfastened the remaining buttons of his shirt and tossed it off, feeling as if he’d been getting too hot to keep it on. He watched amusedly as Darius fumbled around trying to please him, his technique very clearly that of someone who’d never done this before. To guide him, Therion grabbed the base of his cock and manoeuvred it around his mouth just deep enough to avoid making him gag. He seemed to implicitly understand the sensitivity of the situation and knew that he shouldn’t push his partner any further than he was willing to go. Meanwhile, Darius was challenging himself to take more and more of Therion into him mouth. He didn’t know why he was enjoying this, but he was. However, he didn’t quite like the position he was in. It was too vulnerable.

His rough hands gripped Therion’s hips and pushed him off his chest. Therion complied, curious as to what Darius wanted now. He soon found an answer when he was pushed back against a rock, with Darius crawling up between his thighs and resuming what they started. He looked up at Therion and swallowed his cock down halfway, as far as he could get due to his inexperience. Therion tilted his head back at the sensation of Darius’ tongue wrapping around his cock, suppressing the urge to thrust upward into his mouth. Apprehension was written all over Darius’ face, and the last thing he wanted to be doing right now was scaring him off. Trying to focus on something else, Therion decided to extend Darius the courtesy of pulling his long hair back, as it kept getting in the way. He seemed to be thankful for the help, humming approvingly as he increased the pressure in his mouth as a reward.

“Fuck…” Therion moaned, tightening his grip in Darius’ hair.

Suddenly, Darius sat up, and for a split second Therion was worried he might’ve been too rough there. Embarrassed, he pulled his trousers back up, ready to call it quits if need be. His concern was quelled when he realized that he was just disrobing, unfastening the buckles of his cuirass and tossing it and his undershirt aside. They both sat in each other’s shirtless presence for a bit, saying nothing in silent admiration.

Darius slipped closer and pressed his naked skin against Therion in a quiet and awkward hug. The oddly romantic gesture surprised Therion, who wasn’t expecting him to be acting so… tender right now. But he only knew the half of it, he had no idea what Darius really wanted from him. He kept trying to convince himself that it was all for sex, nothing more than touch-starved lonely men finding physical relief… All he knew for certain was right now he wanted nothing more than to be held by him, feeling the warm skin of his heaving chest pressed against his.

Therion took the initiative and pressed his lips against Darius’, holding the sides of his face to pull him in even closer. Wistfully, he accepted the kiss, wrapping his arms around Therion. He shut his eyes, all of his painful memories seemed so distant right now. He was too far gone to even question what he was doing. His apprehension was nothing more than a floodgate holding him back from taking what he really wanted — or needed.

He pulled Therion down to the ground and climbed on top of him, slipping his tongue into his mouth as their kiss grew more and more electric. Therion opened his mouth wider in response, letting Darius explore with his tongue. His muscles relaxed as arousal took over his mental state.

Darius pulled back, leaving a bit of spit around Therion’s lips which he wiped away for him. Therion chuckled and looked up at him out of curiosity, wondering what he was planning. It seemed that Darius had intentions of his own. He reached down and rubbed Therion’s cock through his clothes, shooting him a mocking glance.

“H-Hey…” Therion protested weakly.

Darius smirked callously and whispered into Therion’s ear. “You want it, eh...” He pulled his own trousers down, exposing his cock, to make his intentions clear. “Tell me.”

Therion gulped. He did. Doing his best to avoid confessing it outright, he nodded and spread his legs apart.

“Heh heh. You can’t even resist it.”

“Neither can you.” Therion pointed out astutely.

“Ya might be right.”

Taking a moment to appreciate the sight of Therion’s lust-distorted expression, Darius promptly flipped him over so he was laying on his stomach. He pulled his trousers down his legs slightly, leaving his ass uncovered but keeping the waistband around the top of his thighs. He wasn’t going to undress him fully, not right now. After all, they still had obligations to their coachman. They’d already been taking their sweet time, and it wasn’t necessary to waste any more of it on something frivolous.

As if this was the wisest use of their time when they were at risk of starving for the night. But between two competing hungers, one of them was the clear winner over him right now.

He grabbed a handful of Therion’s ass and shook it, admiring how it softly jiggled about. Therion stuck his hips out, inviting Darius to finally do what he’d been wanting to do this whole time. A satisfied grin covered Darius’ face as he laid down on top of Therion, shifting his body weight onto him to pin him down to the ground.

He wrapped his arms around Therion and pressed his cock against his ass, breathing heavily into his ear, the lust fogging over his mind. The warmth of his panting caused Therion’s face to redden in embarrassment, suddenly acutely aware that he was about to get fucked again. It didn’t fully register to him until Darius grabbed his ass and spread it apart, covering it in cool gel in preparation for what was coming next. He briefly wondered why he still had it on him but that thought was quickly interrupted by a feeling of intense pressure growing inside him.

Darius slid his cock in with relative ease, getting it in halfway but slowing down to gauge his partners level of discomfort at the initial penetration. He squirmed around a little, but didn’t seem to be in any real pain.

“Go deeper.” Therion ordered him.

He grinned smugly to himself and obeyed the command, pressing his hips against Therion until he’d sheathed himself fully inside him. Darius felt remiss if he didn’t take the chance to poke at him a little here.

“Ya like that, eh?” he whispered mockingly into Therion’s ear.

His reaction surprised him. Instead of the typical insult he’d hurl back when someone mocked him, Therion just gulped silently and nodded. He seemed to be enjoying himself too much to even try and retaliate.

Darius thrust twice into him and prodded again. “What’s the matter?”

“…”

He didn’t respond, instead opting to move his hair out of his face which was rapidly becoming damp with sweat. Darius felt annoyed at the lack of response and resolved to _get_ him to say something. He grabbed hold of Therion by the shoulders and pulled them back. Taking a moment to readjust his positioning, he started thrusting roughly into him.

The movement started slow at first, but it was only a matter of seconds before Darius was pounding at the man underneath him aggressively. The sound of skin slapping against skin echoed in the arid landscape, as if they were the only creatures around for miles. Not a single word escaped Therion’s mouth, although he couldn’t help but moan when Darius would thrust into him particularly roughly. He didn’t know why, but he liked when it felt a little bit painful.

“Did I fuck all the fight outta you already?” Darius mocked him again, trying his best to get a rise out of him.

“Fuck you.”

“Seems to be what you’re doin’, yeah,” he laughed at his own joke.

“Whate—Nnngh!” Therion’s reply was cut off when Darius adjusted his position again, squatting over him and thrusting down to penetrate him even deeper.

“What a mighty thief you are.”

“S-Shut up…”

Darius felt rather amused that Therion was still trying to save face even now. It seemed like no matter what, he would never just yield and accept his place underneath him. He was still holding back, holding his hands over his mouth to quell his moaning. Darius had had enough of that.

He pressed Therion’s face against the dirt, forcing him to move his hands out of the way and getting a bit of sand stuck in his mouth (which he promptly spat out). The loss of his mitigating factor caused his unbridled moans to echo throughout the otherwise quiet evening.

“That’s much better on ya.” Darius condescended yet again. He pressed Therion’s face even harder against the ground, squishing his cheek and causing him to leak a bit of drool.

Therion couldn’t lie to himself now, he was feeling really good. Darius’ cock drilled into him so hard that he was barely registering anything else going on around them. It was just the two of them, with himself having totally surrendered to the pleasure of getting fucked. Since he was face-down, he wasn’t able to touch his cock, instead relying on the pressure of it against the ground for any sort of stimulation there. Most of the erotic sensation was from Darius stretching him wide with his cock. He felt precum leaking underneath him as once again he was getting hit in that sweet spot.

“Right there…” he encouraged.

Darius felt a sense of pride at how thoroughly he was able to dismantle Therion. Watching his stoic partner get fucked silly underneath him stroked his ego in ways he’d never imagined. He truly was the superior of the duo. Taking Therion’s cue, he quickened his pace and pounded at that spot, trying to get him to cum before he did.

“Fuck, yes…” Therion sighed and placed his hands over Darius’. “Choke me.”

Darius snickered. “Thought ya’d never ask.”

He obliged him, squeezing the sides of Therion’s neck and pounding into him even harder than he’d been before. He was being so rough it started to make him feel almost cruel, if it weren’t for the fact that Therion was clearly enthusiastic about everything he was doing to him.

“Darius… I’m close, Darius…” Therion squeezed his eyes shut.

“Tell me how much you like it.” Darius ordered.

“I—Mmmph—I like it!”

Darius pulled his hair back and spoke into his ear. “I like it, who?”

“I like it, Darius!” Therion cried out, his voice cracking from a mix of shame and pleasure. He reached his climax, his eyes rolling back into his head as his cum pooled underneath him, spilling on the ground with some of it sticking to his stomach. The way his asshole tightened as he came caused Darius’ orgasm to follow soon after. He pressed his hips all the way against Therion’s ass and pumped him full of hot white cum, collapsing on top of him as his climax rolled through his body like an electric wave.

“…Bastard, why’d you cum in me again?” Therion asked as he felt the sticky liquid leaking out of him.

Darius chortled. “Eh, I like doing that better.” He lifted himself off of Therion and started dressing.

“It’s not that I mind it… It’s just messy.” Therion blushed, realizing he just sort of confessed he liked being creampied.

“Well, no one said ya can’t wash off!”

Therion stood up too, some of the sperm and leftover lubricant leaking down his thighs. There wasn’t much he could do for now, so he used a leaf from a nearby tree as a makeshift towel and wiped himself off. Frustrated by the mess, he slid his trousers back on, careful to avoid pulling them up too far and getting cum in them. Baths and laundry would have to wait until they stopped in an inn, but he could at least minimize the trouble for later on.

He wrapped the pomegranates from earlier back up in his poncho and scarf and put his white undershirt back on. Darius was already dressed, seemingly eager to get a move on.

“C’mon idiot, we still ain’t caught nothin’ for dinner tonight! Ya wanna starve?”

Oh, yeah. Tolik had totally eclipsed Therion’s mind for a while there. He worried if they’d been out too long, if they might’ve aroused suspicion or concern on the part of their coachman. After all, he probably looked extremely disheveled thanks to Darius’ efforts.

“We better bring a big catch back,” he replied.

Darius turned to look at him, an uncharacteristically soft expression on his face. Therion backed off, worried that he said or did something wrong. But instead, Darius approached him and kissed his forehead sweetly. What the fuck?

As if nothing had even happened, Darius turned back around and paced off while inspecting the landscape for any hints of prey. Detecting a set of animal footprints, he set course and began walking toward them.

“Wait!” Therion chased after him.

“Look. Ain’t that mule deer?” Darius pointed out.

Therion inspected the footprints. “…Yeah.” He wasn’t really focused on them, instead wondering whether he should ask why he just did what he did.

“Well, let’s go catch it then!” Darius exclaimed cheerily, keeping up the pretense that he hadn’t done anything.

Therion released an exasperated sigh. One of these days, he was going to get him to open up.

But until that day comes, he was content enough with this. Even if it was all just a confusing mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering what I meant by "subtly referencing Greek mythology" I was referring to the pomegranates. Also the gay sex.
> 
> Couple of ending remarks:  
> 1\. I recently commissioned one of my favourite artists to draw some artwork of Therion and Darius. It's not sexual or anything like that, it's based off the scene in this chapter where they eat pomegranates together. I might post it up here when it's done if he gives me permission, after all I dunno if he wants to be associated with my gay erotic fanfiction about two obscure video game characters.  
> 2\. This isn't something I mentioned before, but I'm not a native English speaker (my first languages are French and Japanese) so this writing stuff has been a great way for me to improve my skill. If you have any suggestions for me they're appreciated, since I'm partly doing this to improve V_V  
> 3\. We surpassed 500 hits! I appreciate the support I've been getting, like I've said many times before I'm writing self-indulgent horny content for a niche ship in a niche game, so it does mean a lot that people are enjoying what I write.


	11. Miscommunications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darius is kind of an asshole. I mean, he has his reasons, but he's still an asshole. Therion kicks himself for expecting emotional intimacy out of The World's Most Repressed Man (this is an actual title they give to people)
> 
> Warning for an animal death (they hunt a deer).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a hiatus of over one month, I return with nothing of note. This is the fan-fiction equivalent of going off to the hunt for a month and returning with nothing but squirrel and rabbit. If this was the 1800s you would be legally allowed to kill me for my incompetence. Please enjoy my 3am crap.

Therion was forced to confront just how much time he’d spent messing around as he watched a young night spring forth. A sense of urgency fueled him as he marched alongside his partner, hoping he could return to the campsite with a proper meal in hand. After all, they’d been out way too long. He’d hope that if they could show that they’d kept busy, Tolik would refrain from asking any probing questions.

Not that he seemed especially concerned about what they were up to, however. When he really thought about it, the worries he harboured about Tolik finding out about what they were truly up to were more a result of his own insecurity than anything else. It corroded his spirit like oxygen to rust.

He looked over at Darius, who was remarkably stoic despite all that had just happened. He presumed he must have been going through much the same feelings that he had when he first started really acknowledging that he liked men. It was never a painless process… but the way in which he could turn around and simply act as if nothing were the matter fascinated him. As subtly as he could muster, he studied his face for any hint of chagrin, regret, or negative emotion in general. If he weren’t the one who just had sex with him, he would’ve been none the wiser.

Despite all the years they’d spent together, neither of them had ever gone into much detail about their childhoods. He knew that Darius was an orphan, and that he was a delinquent in his youth much like he was. They’d shared random stories and anecdotes about their pasts, but never anything of much substance. While Therion generally preferred to keep people at arm’s length, he realized that he didn’t really feel the same way about Darius. For the first time in seven years, he felt that he wanted to truly, intimately, know him. He was as mysterious as a sealed tome, but Therion grew convinced that he would somehow manage to pry him open like an abalone.

But if he wanted to do that, he would have to let Darius see into him too. He wasn’t quite sure if he was ready for that. As much as he typically convinced himself that he had overcome it all, when the memories did return to the forefront of his thoughts, they were nothing but painful still.

The idea of letting scars revert to open wounds didn’t appeal to him much at all.

It wasn’t going to be easy, anyhow. As a testament to how closed off Darius was, Therion remembered that he didn’t even know what part of the continent he was from. His frigid attitude, fire-red hair, and particular accent always made him assume he was from the northern reaches of the Frostlands, although he’d never actually gotten confirmation on that. He looked over at Darius and studied his face yet again, deep in thought as he evaluated its every inch. Darius wasn’t even glancing in his direction. He recognized that sort of behaviour. It was typical of any down-low type of guy who would hit on him at night but spit in his direction around polite company. As annoyed as he was, he tried to maintain his instinct for sympathy, knowing that he acted the same way, once. He knew that he shouldn’t rush Darius into anything he wasn’t ready for, but part of him wondered… wondered if it would turn out okay in the end.

It was all so uncertain now.

Darius walked onward, totally oblivious to Therion’s internal monologuing. His focus remained sharp on the imaginary goal he set for himself, quickening his pace to a jog towards their potential catch. He left his partner behind, finding a short bush to hide behind as he approached their catch.

In a somewhat futile gesture, Therion tried to at least reestablish physical contact with him. Following his lead, he crouched and snuck into the bush, reaching his arm around Darius’ shoulder and rubbing it gently. Darius seemed to instinctively twitch away from the touch, but a quick smile let him relax him a bit. Right now, Therion felt more as if he were trying to pet a skittish animal than embracing a guy he liked, but he was content enough that Darius seemed to not be overly upset about it all. Unlike last time, to be certain.

“Look…” Darius whispered and pointed over the bush.

“The deer?”

Darius only grinned and nodded his head in response, apparently very proud of the part he played in finding it.

“That’s nice, but how are we gonna catch it?”

“Ya think I’m stupid or somethin’?”

“What? I’m just say—”

“Shut yer damn north and south, put the fruits away, and get your sword out.”

Therion unsheathed his sword quietly, the short blade glowing a slight orange in what remained of the sun’s light.

“Good man. Now get ready, it’s gonna be runnin’ your way.” Darius said, and snuck in a wide circle around the deer, so he was now behind it. Despite the lack of explanation, Therion understood his plan. He got into proper stance and waited.

Darius smiled to himself when he noticed that Therion was already prepared for his plan. He understood everything. They really did make a good team.

He took one last look at the deer that was soon to be their meal. It seemed so blissfully unaware of what was about to happen. With a guttural yell, he swung his sword at the thing, scaring it off into the other direction.

Where it met a swift end at a swing of Therion’s blade. He sliced right into the poor thing’s neck, and it fell to the ground bleeding out. A strike of mercy ended its life before it could suffer any more.

“Well, I guess we got something to eat for the next few days, huh?” Therion remarked in an attempt to lighten up the situation.

Darius grimaced at the deer’s corpse. It wasn’t something he ever revealed about himself, but he was squeamish around such things. Trying to overcome his fear, he took their haul into his hands and nodded toward the bag of pomegranates to make sure Therion didn’t forget.

“Let’s get back, I’m exhausted,” Darius complained.

The two of them marched unceremoniously back to their campsite where Anatoly already had a fire raging. Thankfully for the both of them, he didn’t question where they’d been all that time after seeing their bounty.

“You two have certainly been busy, hm?” he commented, thoroughly amused.

Therion blushed for a second, wondering to himself how Tolik knew what they’d been up to. But Darius laughed in agreement and placed the mule deer in front of him, their perfect cover story. The sight of the thing embarrassed Therion as he remembered that there could’ve been no way for Tolik to know the truth.

“I see. Impressive catch. You must be tired. There’s a stream over there,” he pointed in its direction. “Go wash up and I’ll prepare our meal.”

Therion sighed in relief as he would be able to clean up the mess Darius left in him earlier. It was fun while it lasted, but the aftermath was always unpleasant.

They went off together, Therion so eager that he arrived well before his partner did. The momentary peace let him deal quickly with his issue, washing off his thighs thoroughly. He felt rather humiliated about it all. Despite his best attempts to be understanding, he just wished that Darius would suck it up and have an honest talk with him about their relationship.

He chuckled to himself. He’d always been taught that when a couple lays together, that was when their bond was the strongest. Instead, Darius had never been acting more bizarre and distant. A wave of fear washed over him as he contemplated what it might mean to lose the most meaningful (and frankly, the only) relationship in his life. All for what? Because he couldn’t seem to shut his legs…?

“Hey, Therion!” his friend grinned when he finally caught up to and sat next to him.

That stupid charade. If he thought that was doing anything to make him feel better, he might have just achieved a new level of total backfire.

Therion just sighed dejectedly in response. “Hi…”

“What’s with the long face, mate?” Darius asked, already with his shirt off to wash up quickly before their meal.

Instead of offering a response, Therion just turned away and pretended he didn’t hear anything. He made it abundantly clear that he was sulking, letting his hair fall into his face as he hugged his knees. Darius looked on, feeling rejected by his moody behaviour.

“Well if ya ain’t gonna tell me, ya might as well quit your brooding.”

“Pfft. I’m not brooding.”

“You damn are!”

“And so what if I was? Am I not allowed to brood?”

“Just wanted to know why… The mopin’ around ain’t a good look on ya.”

“So now you care about how I look?”

Darius was a bit baffled by his moody temper. He genuinely had no idea why he was acting out. In an attempt to cheer him up, he approached him and pulled out his classic banter. “Now you’re actin’ a pansy? Shut yer mouth, mop-head.”

“Man, FUCK YOU. You’re such an asshole.” Therion shoved Darius away and crossed his arms. He looked down again with the most pitiable expression on his face.

Darius could have sworn he saw his bottom lip quiver. That sad look tugged at his heartstrings in a way he hadn’t felt before. He tried approaching Therion, but he quickly shuffled away and pouted harder. Regret was slapping him in the face now as he watched his best friend treat him like a poison.

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, swallowing his pride. “I’m sorry, Therion. I shouldn’ta said that.”

Therion turned around with a look that could only be described as blindsided. He didn’t expect Darius to actually apologize for anything, ever. It wasn’t like he was entirely ready to forgive him, but he did let him know he appreciated the sentiment with a slow nod.

Acknowledging the positive feedback, Darius moved in closer and wrapped his arm around Therion’s shoulder, slow enough to not scare him off again. His plan worked, and his newly reassured partner leaned against him. They spent more time than they probably should have staring off into the dark night, watching the stars glimmering above.

“Remember when we were just two rejects facin’ the world together? Although I reckon we still are…” Darius trailed off, trying to decide whether he should continue or not. “But I didn’t know what your lips felt like back then.”

Therion glanced downwards to try and hide the smile on his face. “Are they alright?”

“Ya taste like apples for some reason.”

“Apples?” Therion wondered if it had to do with how much of the fruit he’d been eating lately. And maybe he should take this chance to ask about what had just happened. “Darius… what was that kiss from earlier?”

“There’s been a few at this point, mate.”

“You know. The uh… the…” he felt too hesitant to say it out loud.

“Spit it out, will ya?”

“The forehead kiss?”

Darius grimaced instinctively at the reminder that his feelings were getting a little out of control now. He gripped his knees and shut his eyes tightly trying to bullshit an answer.

“Eh.”

“What?” Therion tilted his head and squinted in confusion.

“What do ya want me to say?”

“I don’t know, really. Just a simple explanation would be nice, considering you’re the one who keeps insisting this is all for sex.”

“Now you’re gettin’ all nag on me? Fuck, and I thought that was the only upside of fuckin’ a man!” Darius gulped as the last words left his mouth, the regret that had only smacked him earlier now demolished him from the inside. He just had to ask himself: what the fuck was his problem?

“Fine. If that’s your answer. Get the fuck away from me.” Therion pushed Darius off of him and walked away. He felt tears well up in his eyes but repressed them. He refused to dignify his behaviour with the chance to make him cry.

After he left, Darius was alone in the darkness once more. It was at that point he was forced to confront a few things about himself.

Firstly, he was a complete asshole. Second, he didn't only want sex from Therion. And finally… the last thought made him wince.

He was letting the Holy Sister’s words spill from his own mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, why did I take so long to write this chapter? Let's just say I got run through the gauntlet of endless assignments and tests. I had three midterms in one week. And I actually have two tests this coming week so I took advantage of this short gap to finally finish this chapter. Will chapters be more frequent? Not anytime soon. At the end of the day, I'm writing this crap for myself and the other three people on Earth who actually like this pairing. This fanfic is the written equivalent of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vkRIp86W9c


	12. Sacred Sin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do you get when two men who have no idea how to deal with their anger towards each other are trapped in a shitty cart for hours on end? A chapter full of boring emo ~drama~ and a lot of menacing glares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I write nothing of note. This is probably the shortest chapter I've ever shat out. I won't apologize as my brain is currently making the Windows XP shutdown noise as I write this.
> 
> Will updates be more frequent?! Not anytime soon!!! Because... I have a surgery in 4 days!!!!!!!!! And afterwards comes exam season! Don't you just love life?

There wasn’t much more in the air between than the stench of burning loathing. After their argument the previous night, they’d reverted to strangers or worse. Desperate to let each other know just how little they approved of the other’s presence, their gazes only met in angry glares. Otherwise, they sat quietly and sternly in the cart that was being pulled by a yellow pony, arms crossed with petulant expressions on their faces.

It was to be expected from a guy like him, Therion thought to himself. After all, he’d been warned that these types of guys were all the same. They’d fuck him when they were horny but pick the macho act right back up once they’d relieved himself. If only he weren’t so stupid as to delude himself that he could change that.

Nonetheless, he still felt frustrated by the entire situation. Sex with Darius was fun in the heat of the moment but he always wound up feeling guilty afterwards. Now his only friendship had turned into something completely different. There wasn’t any going back now. He knew that, logically speaking, but he still struggled to really wrap his mind around it. It wasn’t like he could erase it from his memory. He wondered if he could just ignore it and maybe they’d both forget about it all and things could return to normal. Of course, that was stupid, but considering how awkward things had gotten between the two of them it seemed like the best option right now.

It was only late afternoon, but it felt like they’d spent a lifetime in that cruddy bundle of rotting wood Tolik called a cart. What little vegetation there was in the crags grew even more sparse as they approached the Sunlands, the desert sands progressively enveloping the terrain around them like a golden cloak. The heat seemed to only worsen their boiling blood, their irritation from their argument last night coated in another layer of irritation from the obnoxious sun. It didn’t help the carriage was bouncing around incessantly on the barely-paved path, they’d only stopped twice in eight hours on the road, and they didn’t have much water in their canteens. Therion just started counting every single thing that was infuriating him in this moment.

Darius glanced sideways at his clearly distracted partner. He felt frustrated that both of them had been quiet the entire time. There hadn’t been a word from Therion’s mouth. He wished he would say something, anything. Even if it was an insult, he just wanted to hear him talk. That stupid comment of his last night was certainly biting him in the ass. While he didn’t really feel the way his words made it seem, he felt that it might be for the better that they stopped doing this now. After all, Therion was starting to ask too many questions. He felt like he was going to risk hurting his feelings if he didn’t push him away now.

Even if he was doing Therion a favour, he still couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about it. And a bit annoyed, too. The sex was pretty good. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that Therion had a charm about him. It was also convenient to have something to stick his dick in on those trips that could last weeks. Masturbating was just a chore by comparison. That was why he felt reluctant to give it up, or at least, that’s what he told himself.

Was he scummy for thinking stuff like that? No. He’d be scummy for lying to Therion and leading him on!

Not to mention the whole disapproval of the gods thing. It wouldn't be fun for an errant flame of angry bolt of lightning to strike them both down, now would it? Patting himself on the back for his oh-so wise choice to dump Therion before anything more could come of their little escapades, he grabbed some of the leftover pomegranates from last night and delighted in them.

His shuffling around caught his partners' attention, who huffed loudly to indicate his displeasure with his very presence. Therion wondered if he should just leave Darius like he left all the other guys he messed around with. It wasn’t hard to do, he was just like them in many respects anyways. He just wished he weren’t attracted to him. Maybe he wouldn’t have ruined their friendship if he just chalked up Darius’ request that night to drunken idiocy.

His thoughts drifted to their first meeting in Riverford. It was hard to imagine that had been seven years ago now. Throughout those years they roamed the world together, fighting against the harshness of the reality they’d been confined to by poverty and societal indifference. Darius didn’t care that Therion was some street rat getting himself into trouble because he was too. They were two runaway rejects, and all they had was each other. He thought of all the mischief they’d gotten up to together, a particular memory of Darius hitting an oblivious guard over the head with a sack of cabbage making him chuckle to himself.

He supposed he didn’t really want to leave his side, even if he was an asshole. They’d sworn that they’d be there for each other through thick and thin. They’d never snitch and they’d never leave the other behind. That vow wasn’t about to be broken over petty squabbles like this.

That little moment of sentimental recollection was interrupted by Darius’ loud chomping into what was left of their deer from last night. Realizing that none of his scorn was being detected by his idiot partner, Therion laid back in the cart and zoned out.

Some of the juice from the meat leaked out of Darius’ mouth as he bit off a large chunk. He noticed that Therion was lying down and wondered why he was going to sleep so early, only to realize that he was just staring up at the sky.

Weird guy sometimes, that Therion.

At the end of the day, he did still need him. He’s a good thief, or perhaps even a great one. It would be stupid to lose an ally like that over something so trivial, wouldn’t it? After all… he was going to need good thieves on his side for his _future ambitions_. Darius concluded that he would just pretend nothing happened between them. It was more trouble than it was worth.

As the setting sun cooled the desert air and let a gentle breeze flow through the increasingly hostile environment, Therion felt a bit less burdened. The wind swept some of his hair into his eyes and he tucked it behind his ears in response. He calmed down a little and pondered the Darius question.

Beyond whatever friendship they had, there was something a bit more crucial to his immediate survival. Darius was essentially his ticket for a free meal on most days. Without his collaboration, he’d be alone in this world, hungry and defenseless. Their actions over the past week were best put behind them. It was just more practical that way. Therion was decided. It wasn’t like he hadn’t played this little game before. Darius was just going to be added to the short yet bitter list of men he messed around with.

He was getting used to be nothing more than a secret sin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My writing for this chapter is not good. I will admit. But I do not care that much. I am having fun. Thanks for over 700 hits!
> 
> This is not that interesting of a chapter. The next few chapters have the entire plot outlined... but it will probably take a long time for me to actually write them. If you remember a few chapters ago, how I hinted towards something happening to Therion? Yeah... that hasn't happened yet. It's in either the next chapter or the next next chapter. I don't want to hype it up as anything that cool or interesting, because it's really not. I just like to feel clever for knowing stuff that I'm going to be writing several chapters in advance. Planning!


	13. House of Flies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Therion and Darius finally make it to the Sunlands. Although they need a place to stay for the night in this shady inn... how will they manage?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay... I finally mustered the time and ambition to write something. After my surgery I was bombarded with exams and I am still recovering from all that mentally. Not to mention I'm severely behind on my paper and I think I'm a disappointment. My sleep schedule is fucked. Enjoy this crap, all 3 of you who read this.

The night was young, yet with its fall came a cold chill that grew more and more unbearable. It prompted all three men to try and warm up in what amounted to a fruitless effort. The wind blew fervently across the desert sands, stealing away what little body heat they could generate.

“We’re stopping soon!” Anatoly shouted behind him, serving not only to reassure his passengers but himself as well.

There was a small inn he would typically stop at in his younger days hidden in the dunes. If his memory served, they would be able to find it within the next ten minutes. It would be difficult, but not impossible. His heart twisted as his prized Galloway showed clear signs of fatigue, her normally vigorous gait slowing. The path ahead grew less and less traveled, the road now seeming like little more than a meagre footpath.

In the distance, the dim yet comforting glow of an inn showed its face behind a particularly tall dune. Darius narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the place, being someplace he hadn’t heard of despite all his years on the road. He turned to see if Therion was feeling the same way, but quickly lowered his gaze when he remembered they were supposed to be angry at each other.

Situated next to a deep well, the inn seemed like an oasis of peace in the middle of nowhere. As they approached, however, they quickly learned this couldn’t be further from the truth. The exterior was infested with drunken men having a go at each other, the ruckus and rumble filling Darius with excitement and Therion with hesitation. Nervous that one of them would cause trouble, he confirmed with his weapons by clasping his sword and dagger which were hidden under his poncho. Feeling a bit more secure at their continued presence, he steeled himself and prepared to leave the cart as they pulled closer.

A strange man with a patch over his eye waved Anatoly down at the stable next to the inn. He waved right back, a grin on his face as he seemed to recognize this fellow. He whoaed his pony and hopped down to greet the man.

Therion heard him say a hello in a language he only barely understood. The two of them exchanged some dialogue which was interspersed with hearty laughs. Darius only wondered what was so funny.

“Mr. Terrion and friend! You’re welcome to leave the cart. I’ll be with you two in a minute.” Anatoly yelled during a break in conversation.

Relieved, both men hopped out of the cart, huffing passive-aggressively when they had to acknowledge each other’s presences again. Therion tiredly began pacing over to the inn when his arm was violently grabbed to still him. He shot a fierce glare at the offending party, to which he received a scowl in response.

“Are ya thick or somethin’? Those drunk idiots’ll lop your dumb little head right off your shoulders if ya get near ‘em right now.” Darius tried his best to fit as many insults into that sentence as he could muster, a futile attempt to distract from the fact that he was displaying concern for Therion.

Therion tilted his head and squinted his eyes. “You think I can’t handle myself?”

“Fine,” Darius replied scorned and released the arm from his grip, “get your ass kicked if ya like. See if I help!” He moved his face in closer to try and intimidate Therion, who only answered with the same gesture.

“Let’s go.” A third voice echoed next to them, their characteristically peaceable coachman Anatoly. “The ostler’s got Straw, the inn will be having us.”

Embarrassed that they’d fought in front of him, they calmed themselves down and followed behind. Contrary to Darius’s mongering, the drunks out front were no problem. The drunks on the inside, however, were another story altogether. From the moment the three of them walked in their thoughts were drowned out by the loud revelry taking place. Therion questioned if this was even an inn or simply a tavern that coincidentally had beds.

He noticed that Tolik had gone off and was chatting with a very old man, who seemed to be the owner of this not-so-fine establishment. Despite the obscurity of this place, he seemed rather wealthy, dressed in an unreasonably nice suit. He shuddered to think of where he was getting that wealth.

“Be awake at sunrise.” Tolik said as he was heading off with a key in hand. It seemed he had connections here which let him get a place to stay on the low here. Therion and Darius weren’t so lucky, with not much in the way of leaves on their person.

Of course, they did have all those valuables they stole… But those were being saved for when they would finally arrive to Wellspring. It would be a waste of effort to trade them off for a room here. But they couldn’t stay out in the cold of the desert night, either. Sighing in frustration, Therion sat himself down at the bar and ordered a cheap lager. He’d figure something out, he always did.

Meanwhile, Darius was surveying the room for anyone who was just drunk enough to not notice a few leaves missing from their coinpurse. It seemed like this endeavour would be fruitless. This inn was filled with equally shady individuals who were much too world-wise to let such a thing in reach of petty thieves.

His prying caught the attention of a strange man in a black jacket. He was being scolded by his father, the owner of the inn, for his typical lazing about. There were only so many times he could nod faux-shamedly to cries of “you waste my money!” and “you don’t do anything here!” in a day. Sheepishly sneaking away when his father grew occupied with another task, he snuck over to size up this fiery-looking redhead.

He coolly approached the table where Darius was sitting and opened with his typical backhanded comments.

“So what’re you here for, sightseer?”

Darius looked up at the strange man and scoffed. “I’ve been called a lotta things in life, ‘sightseer’ hasn’t been one of ‘em.”

“Pfft. You’ve got an attitude though.” He took even more interest at that response and pulled up a chair to sit himself down next to Darius.

“The Sisters told me as much!” he punctuated his sentence with a coy laugh.

“Oh, you’re a religious boy?” the weird man’s curiosity was piqued by the statement.

“If you’re askin’ if I’m a habitual sinner, the answer’s yes.”

“Heh. You all turn out that way don’t you?”

Darius could do nothing but chuckle and shrug in response. It wasn’t exactly an unfounded stereotype.

“Well, what sort of sinning are you alluding to…?”

“I know better than ta be tellin’ a stranger like you that sorta thing.”

“We don’t have to be strangers. Meet me in the third room to the right.”

Darius tilted his head, confused. “Now what’re ya talkin’ about?”

The owner’s son approached his lips to his ear and whispered. “Suck me off and you get the room.”

Darius was taken aback, pulling his head away with widened eyes. “What?”

The man doubled down. “You heard me. My da runs this place. If you do it, you got it on me.”

Sensing opportunity, Darius thought of an alternate solution. Something that would let him get back at Therion as well as net them a place to stay for tonight.

“Now I won’t be doin’ that, but I got someone who will. He’s real good at it too, and has a pretty face to go along with it,” he replied coyly. This plan might just work out.

He chuckled under his breath as he noticed the man go quiet, seemingly contemplating this proposal. “…Is he the white-haired one you walked in with?”

“The one and only.”

Licking his lips, the lecherous man crossed his arms and grinned widely. “I had my eyes on that one. He’d look good with something wrapped around those pink lips.”

Darius silently agreed, but played the ignorant. “Ya don’t gotta tell me that crap!” He crinkled his nose and feigned disgust. “…I’ll tell him about it.”

“I’ll see you two in the room.” He handed over a key. “Here’s a key. Don’t try and flake, we’ve got copies.”

Darius took it and nodded, then walked away to find Therion. He laughed to himself as he thought of how that cocky guy would react to the news that he was being sold off to get them a roof tonight. It might knock him down a peg, and rightfully so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really stayed up until four in the morning on the last day of the year writing this.


	14. Labyrinth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fucking a random guy in an inn isn't going to solve anything, you himbo!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am such a fucking asshole.

Darius snuck off to an unoccupied corner of the inn, and gathered his bearings. He gave a good deal of thought to the situation he found himself in, and soon a sinister grin crept across his face. It seemed fate had smiled upon him tonight. As soon as that man walked up to him, he noticed that there was something _off_ about him. That lecherous gaze burned through him so strongly he would’ve ran off if he didn’t smell opportunity as well.

This would be his chance to sever any connection he felt with Therion now. Of course, he knew that he had given fellatio to other men before. That knowledge filled him with a feeling he had to begrudgingly acknowledge as jealousy. But there would be no more of this. It was going too far and he had been trying to think of a way to cut the cord. The solution had just been dropped into his lap.

If he could just force himself to think that Therion was just a slut, that other men were using him… he wouldn’t want him anymore. It had happened before, and he lost complete interest in the girl he’d been crushing on for months. It was only a matter of convincing himself that Therion was the same way and that there had been nothing special about what they did together.

He clenched his fist as his brain conjured up a mental image of Therion on his knees for another man. That certainly made him feel irritated, but more than that, he knew he wasn’t planning on looking past it. He would train himself to think of it if he ever felt anything towards him again.

Back at the bar, Therion downed the last drop of his lager with a loud sigh. It was quite light and didn’t affect him much other than covering his cheeks with a light blush. He wisely decided he shouldn’t drink anymore if he was to find a way to pay up for a room here. Taking a look around him, the room seemed emptier than before. Rather unfortunate, since the more crowded conditions would’ve given him a better shot at pickpocketing someone. He stood up to try and eavesdrop on the conversations of those left, hoping to hear some useful information. After all, alcohol makes for loose lips.

It wasn’t much use. There was a loud group of ten or so in the middle who were sharing some sort of pastries while telling stories about their travel experiences. A few of the more suspicious people seemed to notice his presence and switched whatever topics they’d been conversing about. Oddly, a weird man seemed to be staring at him as he snuck around the room. At first, he wondered if his mind had been playing tricks on him, but a menacing glare shot in his direction solidified it. That guy was definitely watching him. He wondered if it might be because he was a foreigner, but judging by the diverse appearances of everyone in the room he wasn’t unique in that regard. He seemed almost a foot taller than him and was also rather muscular. It wouldn’t be worth getting on the bad side of an intimidating guy like that, so he averted his eyes and pretended he noticed nothing.

Frustrated, he looked around the room for Darius only to realize he was missing. That idiot. He facepalmed and muttered a curse under his breath. What sort of trouble was he getting himself into? He set off to find him, preparing a scolding rant to unleash on the fool.

It didn’t take him long to find that devious asshole he called a partner, leaning against the wall of a secluded corner of the inn with his arms crossed. He was chuckling about something to himself.

“What’s so funny?” Therion asked, totally unamused.

“Ah, there ya are! I was about to go lookin’ for ya.”

“Why’d you disappear, asshole?”

The chiding only led Darius to flash a cheeky grin in response. He felt that Therion was cute when he was angry. But he scolded himself for the thought, reminding himself this sort of thing was exactly why he had to make that deal in the first place.

Therion just looked down in disappointment and his voice went quiet. “I got worried about you.”

Darius’s heart clenched at the earnest look in his eyes. It only served as further evidence that he had to stop this in its tracks. Before Therion ends up hurt.

“Well, while ya were out havin’ a drink, I found a genius solution to our little problem!” Darius exclaimed with a self-assured smirk. Therion tilted his head, his interest piqued.

“What do you mean? Did you—”

Before he could finish his question, Darius had made off. Sighing in annoyance, he followed closely behind. His eyes widened in surprise when he produced a key from his pockets and opened the door wide to let him in.

“But how? Won’t they figure out you stole the key?” he asked, pacing around and examining the room curiously.

Darius shifted and scratched the back of his head, letting out a slow nervous chuckle. That was far from satisfactory to Therion, who narrowed his eyes and pried more.

“How did you do it? The keys were hidden.”

“Well… ya see…” Darius started slowly, a drop of sweat forming on his temple.

“What?”

“I sorta made a deal.”

“A deal?” Therion crossed his arms, wondering what mess he could possibly have gotten them into.

“To put it plainly… You’re gonna be suckin’ some guy’s dick.” Darius replied bluntly, not caring to even try and spin this into a palatable option.

“…WHAT?”

Therion sat himself down on the bed and began wringing his hands, trying to process what he’d just been told. He wondered if he might have misheard or misinterpreted, but that was much too direct for any other interpretation to be made. Did Darius really just sell him off to get a room tonight?

His expression darkened as his mind went through a cacophony of clashing emotions. Angered, that he assumed he go along with this. Offended, that Darius would use him as a bargaining chip like that. Confused, whether he had some other motivation for making that deal. And most strongly, a sense of melancholy washed over him. He had to confront the idea that Darius really thought so little of him. After everything they’d been through together in life, he seemed to be perfectly fine with letting some random scummy guy have his way with him.

Darius watched intently as Therion reacted to the news. He chastised himself for being so blunt, but concluded it was ultimately for the best. There was no need for tenderness now. Whatever fantasies he might have conjured up about them being together had to be crushed here and now.

Finally, Therion looked up and clenched both his fists. It had become completely obvious to him now that Darius didn’t care about his feelings. Why should he care about him, then? If he had no interest in him to the point where he’d be willing to make such a deal, he wasn’t worth shedding tears over. It was decided. He was going to get them the room.

“Fine. I’ll fucking do it.” he said, voice quivering as he spoke.

“Right then.” Darius answered plainly, choosing to ignore the fact that Therion sounded like he was about to either start crying or go berserk and beat him up. Or both.

Speak of the devil, as that man who had been eyeing Therion earlier showed up on cue. He seemed skittish, looking around the room as he stepped in as if there might be a setup.

“So,” he began intensely. “You’re that boy your friend here was talkin’ about.” He turned to Darius. “Has he agreed?”

“I assure ya, you’ll be gettin’ your end of the bargain.” Darius bowed his head and stepped out of the room, not before shooting a wink at Therion. He shut the door behind him and leaned against it, closing his eyes and sighing in relief. It was finally going to happen. He would finally stop having these weird feelings for him after this.

Therion sized up the man in front of him. Despite his attempt to exude confidence in his speech mannerisms, his body language indicated anything but. He seemed uneasy, as if the entire plot he had concocted was going to unravel anytime soon. He slipped off his jacket, revealing the full extent of his physique. Rippling arm muscles flexed as he shifted around, making Therion feel like a small weakling by comparison. He was perhaps a few years older, with a stubbled face and cropped black hair. He was ugly and sort of orcish, but despite his flawed appearance he exuded a raw masculinity which Therion found oddly attractive. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Therion supposed he deserved someone who was interested in him, at least.

“Well, I suppose we’ll get to it…” Therion said apprehensively, getting down on his knees in front of this strange man.

“You’re quick. I like that. Your name?”

“This isn’t about names. This is about a room.” Therion replied as he hurriedly tossed off his scarf and poncho.

The man was taken aback by that attitude. He liked it, though.

“I like feisty types like you,” he said, shooting a cocky grin right back at Therion’s fiery glare. “I’ll be playin’ rough. You able to handle it?”

“I can handle anything. Have your fun, I just want a bed for tonight.” He approached his head towards the man’s crotch.

“Damn, so eager. I’ll show you a good time, then.” He pulled his cock out of his pants, hanging loose and flaccid in front of Therion.

While he would normally be rather shy to do something like this with someone for the first time, he repressed his anxiety as much as possible. If he was going to make sure Darius hates him, he was going to have to give this guy a good time. He licked along the shaft slowly, watching for his reaction as he did so. It seemed like he was going too slow for his liking, however. Within a few seconds, he felt a hand grip the hair on the back of his head and shove his face into the cock in front of him.

“Hey…” Therion protested quietly.

The weird man’s patience was running out. “Open your mouth,” he said, prodding at his lips with his semi-hard cock.

Therion complied, sticking his tongue out and letting the man insert the length of it into his mouth. He thought to himself that he wanted to give this guy the best blowjob he’s ever received. Looking up into his eyes, his arms hung passively to his side as the man thrusted roughly into his mouth. He reached up and wrapped one of his hands around it, stroking along with the movements of his hips. That earned him a low groan, to which he smirked with satisfaction.

Taking a second to prepare, he looked directly into the man’s eyes and swallowed his cock down to the base. He held himself there for several seconds before resurfacing to take a breath, covering the entire thing in saliva. Despite his effort, the man seemed frustrated by how short he lasted. Therion took the length into his hands and stroked it quickly while looking up into his eyes. He leaned down again and sucked on the tip, lewd wet noises filling the room. If only Darius could see how he didn’t need him now. This much was proof that there were plenty of other guys out there for him.

“Wait.” The man stopped him to walk over next to the door and then beckoned Therion, who obeyed silently. Feeling more at ease about the situation, he sat himself down politely with his hands in his lap, legs folded underneath. Trying his best to seem appealing, he put on a warm smile, affecting as much of his charm as he could muster. Not that a dirty thief like him was especially charming, but to each their own.

The man looked down at him curiously. Here was this young, handsome guy, acting so serenely obedient toward him. Hadn’t he just been acting rude earlier? And those eyes of his… they were green and wide with exuberance. Despite that, he didn’t seem to know how to conceal his true nature. Behind that obedient act was profound irritation, as if he were insulted to even be in his presence. Sensing it, he squatted down and ran his hand along his cheek.

“Do you dislike me?” the man asked.

“…” Therion winced. “It’s not like that.”

“I’m getting the sense,” he continued while running a thumb along Therion’s lower lip. “That you’re not only doing this for a room. Hmm?”

“That’s none of your concern,” he replied, a crack showing in his already rather flimsy façade.

Suddenly, the man grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked it upwards to force him to look up. “I suppose you’re right.”

He dragged Therion, turned him around, and pushed him back against the door. Darius, who was standing outside, jolted when he heard the thud and approached the door slowly.

“Your friend oughta hear this.” He didn’t mention anything, but he sort of got the sense that there was something going on between the two. It was the body language they displayed around each other. He could assert himself to that redhead by having some fun with his little twink ‘friend.’ And get off a little by addressing his exhibitionist tendencies.

Therion looked up with a pout, not appreciating the lack of personal space he was being offered. If he wasn’t doing this for his ulterior motive, he’d definitely throw some choice insults his way. Instead, he decided it would be better to not deliberately offend his ticket to a room for the night. He yielded and opened his mouth, where it was promptly filled with cock once more.

It was clear that this man no longer had any intention of holding back. Therion wondered how long it had been since the last time he got to do this. All the pent-up aggression he must have been holding in was being displaced on him at once. He grimaced as he started thrusting into his mouth haphazardly, getting his cock so far in as to trigger his gag reflex.

Hearing him gag, the man pulled his cock out and slapped it against his face. “Wider,” he commanded.

Therion clenched his fists, he had to repress the feisty side of his ego and do what he was told. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth wide once more, this time as wide as he could muster. The man wasted no time and guided his cock back in, rolling his eyes back as Therion did his best to swallow it whole.

Stealthily, Darius had approached the door and was eavesdropping on the situation. The colour drained from his face as he heard the sounds of Therion sucking another man’s cock. He was punching himself mentally right now. Despite having been the one to arrange this entire ordeal, he felt nothing but regret now. Maybe his brilliant idea wasn’t so smart after all. It was too late to do or say anything. This was the end for them, he supposed. While his rational brain accepted defeat, he felt something odd in his chest. It was that same feeling he felt when the boy he’d kissed all those years ago stopped talking to him all of a sudden. Rejection. He clenched his fist and reminded himself of why he allowed this in the first place. Growing too close to someone was dangerous in his line of work.

Meanwhile, that strange man was thrusting away at Therion’s face, not seeming to slow down despite his struggle to take it all. Therion closed his eyes and focused on the task at hand, ignoring the spit that started running down his chin. It was the least of his concern, for sure, as the cock in his mouth grazed the back of his throat causing more saliva to drip down onto his chest.

The sight only further encouraged the man. He gripped the hair on both sides of Therion’s head and pushed it down further. Conflicting emotions arose in Therion, as he considered how humiliating it was to be doing this just to get a room with a guy who cared so little about him. On the other hand, he was getting back at Darius and feeling good, a flush of red colouring his cheeks from arousal. He wasn’t fully hard – yet – but he had to admit that there was something in him that was enjoying this.

The man pulled out, giving him a moment of much needed respite. He cleared his throat, surprised at how sore it had gotten. He didn’t notice at all in the heat of things.

“You’re doing well,” the stranger praised. He looked down and noticed Therion’s arousal. “And you seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Therion’s already blushing face turned an even deeper shade of red in embarrassment. He nodded apprehensively.

The man chuckled. “Heh heh. You’re special. Pretty boy who gets off on sucking dick. I hope your little friend out there isn’t wasting the opportunity.”

Therion grabbed the fabric of his trousers and clenched his fists. Another crack in the façade.

“Well, that’s none of my business. Open your mouth.”

His irritation mounting, Therion had to mutter a quick curse under his breath before obeying the command. There was only so long he could go on with the act, and this guy seemed determined to push his buttons. He stuck his tongue out with his mouth open wide, prepared for the next onslaught.

Not wasting any time, the man shoved the entire length of his cock down Therion’s throat in one fell swoop. His eyes widened at the sudden intrusion, trying his best to keep it down. If he didn’t know any better, he could’ve sworn the man was being extra aggressive because he thought Darius might be listening.

Meanwhile, Darius held his ear next to the thick iron door, trying to listen in on what was going on. His jealousy got the better of him. He rationalized that he was just trying to make sure he wasn’t being double-crossed.

If Therion was still trying to keep up the obedient boytoy act, it certainly wasn’t working. His previous saccharine smile had been totally replaced by a pout. The man pressed his head completely against the door with his hips. At this point, his throat felt like little more than a fleshlight as the stranger fucked it without a care. He accepted it without complaint, reminding himself of the tasks he’d set out to do. His train of thought was interrupted by a strange request.

“Is it alright if I slap you?” the man asked oddly innocuously, as if he were asking him for directions instead of asking him about rough sex. He shook his head ‘no,’ opting to not respond verbally since his mouth was occupied.

The stranger sighed. “Suit yourself.” He pulled his cock out of Therion’s mouth and pointed to it. “It’s covered in your spit. Why don’t you lick it clean?”

Therion questioned his logic, but accepted the request nonetheless. He licked the shaft, lapping up the excess saliva that accumulated throughout their night. His tongue traced along the veins, and he noted the man’s breathing growing heavier and heavier.

Outside, all that licking was quite noisy. Darius stood by, gritting his teeth with anger when he could only imagine what was going on. A primal rage was growing within him. It seemed like that man intentionally moved near the door in a ploy to get him to overhear this. Now he heard a soft call of “good boy,” and gripped his dagger in response. There was no way this man was going to leave without a fight now. He kneeled down and studied the doorknob intently. It was going to be difficult, but it was possible.

“I-I’m going to c-cum…” the stranger exhaled weakly.

He ran his hands through Therion’s hair and shoved his head back down on his cock. It wasn’t long before his rhythmic thrusts grew more and more erratic. He tried to pull his cock out of Therion’s throat but wasn’t entirely successful. With a low moan, he shot cum into his mouth, before pulling it out and aiming the rest of it on his lips. Satisfied, he took a moment to appreciate his work.

Therion sat leaning against the door, appearance entirely different than how he first started. His previously only slightly messy white hair was now completely disheveled. He let the cum in his mouth spill out, covering his lower face in a lewd mix of cum and saliva. And his earlier combative expression was now replaced with a flushed and panting one.

“Get up,” the stranger extended an arm and got him to his feet. “How was it?”

“…Okay, I guess.” Therion answered, not knowing how honest he should be.

“Just okay?” he replied. “Don’t you want…” he leaned over Therion, the difference in height between them giving him the advantage. “More?”

“I-I don’t understand.”

The man lifted his chin up with his fingers. “Maybe this’ll help.” All of a sudden, he kissed Therion.

It came as a surprise to Therion, who wasn’t expecting any further intimacy. But he had to admit, it felt sort of nice. After what he’d just gone through with Darius, it was warm and almost comforting. He surrendered himself completely to the kiss, allowing the stranger to explore his mouth with his tongue. The stranger. He still hadn’t learned his name. But that wasn’t important. He just wanted to feel wanted again.

He felt a hand grab his ass and pulled back instinctively. “Uh, I—”

“You’re what? Saving yourself for that prick outside?”

Therion grimaced at that comment. But after a bit of thinking his expression grew solemn. He figured that it might be the perfect way to cleanse himself of Darius. After their argument, he was feeling a bit desperate to stop having those feelings. Maybe he could get them fucked out of him. The rational part of his mind tried to remind him that fucking some random guy probably wasn’t the best solution, but he ignored it.

His mind drew up flashbacks of all the times he’d had with Darius. The good and the bad. The heists they’d managed to pull off, the interesting stories they’d hear from fellow travelers, the nights of drinking in bars. And then the deeper held feelings… The way his heart beat faster when he got close, the way he couldn’t help but stare at him sometimes, the little quirks he had that reminded him... reminded him why he’d started falling for him in the first place.

As much as he cherished it all, he knew it could never work. He reminded himself of the reason he agreed to do this in the first place. Darius didn’t want him. At least, not in the way he wanted Darius. He wanted all of him, but Darius was only willing to fuck him and nothing more. Not to mention that he was an asshole who hurt his feelings. When it came down to it, he really just believed what everyone else believed.

So that was it. He was decided. Nodding slowly, he moved his hands down to his trousers and prepared to untie them.

Until Darius came busting through the door with a knife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epic cliffhanger?! Right? Not really intentionally. I just chose to cut it off there because it's 5:30 in the morning and I need to go the fuck to sleep.
> 
> I don't know if this counts as cheating or not. They aren't in a relationship (yet?) and the "cheating" was mediated by both parties... So, I'm not going to tag it as such because I don't think this qualifies. If you disagree feel free to comment and tell me why and if your reason makes sense I'll tag it...
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this. This is the evil thing I was planning all those chapters ago. Since Therion and Darius can't sell off their goods without losing out on a huge profit they had to find some other way to get a room for the night. Obviously you would freeze in the desert night so... you should take the first opportunity you get. I felt so clever for planning this out so far in advance lol
> 
> Therion is okay by the way. If that had to be clarified. He's just dejected and looking for a rebound.
> 
> Don't worry. The emotional stuff is in the next chapter! V_V
> 
> P.S. Thank you for 900+ hits. Let's hit that 1000 by the next chapter, eh?


	15. Endless Choke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darius is a giant idiot. This surprises no one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took way too long to write this. I don't apologize though. I've been busy! And I spent nearly the entire month of February high. Thanks for over 1k hits, though!

The situation was about to devolve fast. On one side of the room stood Therion and the other man, thoroughly confused by what was happening. On the other, Darius gripping his knife, shaking with fury.

Therion assessed the room quickly, scanning for any items he could use as a weapon. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a fire iron that could wo—

Too late.

Darius charged forth with a fiery rage in his eyes. He knocked Therion out of the way, sending him tumbling to the floor. Before anyone else had time to react, he had the man at knifepoint.

Time seemed like it had slowed to a halt. Therion looked up, his vision slightly blurred from the fall. Despite the expression of pure anger on his face, Darius held back.

The man he was threatening seemed to be unarmed and rather afraid of him. Pressing his knife against his hostage’s neck, he took a deep breath and shut his eyes. A slow chuckle rolled forth, his tried-and-true strategy for striking fear in the hearts of others. The stranger clenched his teeth.

“Ya thought ya could get away wit’ it…?” Darius started with a menacing whisper.

The man didn’t respond, too paralyzed by fear to think of a response. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.

“Answer!” Darius growled right in his face. He shifted the dagger’s position closer to the man’s jugular vein, weapon so sharp it sliced thin hairs off his neck.

“We hadda deal! Ya don’t go ‘round double crossin’ people as a habit, do ya?”

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“Ya didn’t? So ya thought ya’d half-inch another round with my merch?” Darius came up with that on the spot, not keen on telling anyone the _real_ reason he was angry right now.

Therion just noticed how thick Darius’ Northerner accent would get when he was emotional.

“I would’ve paid you for the extra, I promise!” the man insisted, pulling out a small bag of money from his back pocket.

Darius swiped it and tossed it down to his partner. “Count.” Therion obeyed right away, eager at the prospect of a task to distract him.

“Now I’ll be keepin’ that. Consider it your fee for the trouble ya just caused.” Darius said smugly. He sheathed his dagger and opened the door. “Now be on your way.”

The man stood still for a moment, weighing his options. He could probably run to his father, the owner of the inn, and get him to intervene. However, he had already gotten in trouble with him once tonight. If he learned he was giving guests a hard time, he definitely wouldn’t be merciful. Instead, he accepted Darius’ terms and went on his way.

Darius closed the door behind the man and sighed. Tonight was not going as planned. He turned around to look at his partner, who was still sprawled across the floor.

“Ten, twenty, thirty…” he counted as he dropped the last of the coins back into the bag. He tried to sit up, his ascent hampered by a sharp pain in his side that wasn’t there before. The adrenaline had worn off, and all the soreness was coming to the forefront. His ribs ached as he breathed, his arms were covered in scrapes from the fall, and his throat was sore from his previous ordeal.

“Five hundred and fifty. Enough for the rest of the trip.” Therion said as he handed the bag over to Darius, rubbing his side to soothe the pain.

Darius took the money without saying a word and sat down on the bed. He stared down at Therion with an expression that could only be described as a mixture of desire and disgust.

The scrutiny made Therion curl up in shame. He looked like shit right now, his hair a complete mess, face still covered with a thin layer of saliva and semen.

“I’ll go wash up,” he announced unceremoniously. He walked out of the room, giving Darius one last look before closing the door. He was staring off into space, completely zoned out. Therion hoped that meant he wasn’t just staring at him, but was instead distracted thinking about something else.

Confident that Therion was no longer within hearing range, Darius balled up his fists and screamed. Or at least, he was going to scream, but he stopped himself and instead his shout turned to a deep growl in his throat. Rage, confusion, jealousy, self-loathing, and many more emotions he couldn’t hope to name swirled inside him like a brewing storm. All the energy inside of him rose to the surface at once, and he struggled to find a reasonable way to let it out. He punched himself in the leg and grit his teeth.

“Damn it!” he whisper-shouted.

He decided there was no use in lingering and began preparing for bed. It was then that he finally registered there was only one bed in their room. Fantastic, he thought to himself. Now a painful and awkward situation could only get more painful and awkward.

Rapidly, he stood up and unbuckled his cuirass, letting it fall to the floor and kicking it off to the side. His mind began to wander, thinking about all that had transpired. It was his fault, ultimately, for even thinking his clever little plan would work. Instead of doing anything to quash his feelings, he only solidified them.

The idea that Therion could inspire such jealousy in him sickened him a little. He pulled his undershirt off to distract himself from the self-condemning thoughts that began voicing themselves in his head. As it had grown late, he left to wash himself off before bed. On his way, he passed Therion in the hall, walking past him without a word. He couldn’t help but look back at him, a forlorn look in his eye when he realized how cold they’d just been to each other.

Therion made it back to their room, shutting the door behind him as if he was preventing some dark energy from entering and capturing him. He was already undressed from the waist up, hair still damp and matted down from the bath he’d had. Noticing Darius’ cuirass and shirt on the floor, he grimaced thinking of his betrayal. At this point, he was unsure if he had any interest in him anymore. Not after all the nonsense he’d been putting him through. It wasn’t particularly fun to be someone else’s shame, especially not when that someone had been his best friend. He sat cross-legged on his de facto side of the bed, contemplating the events of the night.

Everything was changing too quickly for him to keep track. It was as if months’ worth of change had happened in the past week, and thinking about it all made his head spin. Darius had went from selling him off to a random man to threatening that same man with a knife in the span of a few hours. Was it all part of some weird plan he had in mind? Or was he really that callous? Therion didn’t know what to make of it, but considered that asking him would be a fruitless endeavour.

Darius re-entered their room with his mop of wet hair dripping all over the floor. Therion looked at him with scorn as he used a rag supplied by the inn to haphazardly dry his hair.

“You couldn’t have done that in the other room?” Therion said, voice coated with annoyance. It came across loud and clear that he was using the question as a passive-aggressive attack.

Darius didn’t reply. Instead, he shut his eyes and sighed deeply while pinching the bridge of his nose.

That little comment didn’t gain Therion any satisfaction. The reaction he elicited only irritated him further. He asked himself why he was upset in the first place. After all, he only did what Darius wanted him to do. If there was anything in the wrong, it was him. Despite that rationalization, he still felt guilty. He’d never been in a situation quite like the one he was currently… trapped in, for lack of a better word.

Leaving all of this behind was still an option and it was one he certainly chose many times before. For some reason, however, he still didn’t want to leave Darius’ side. Maybe because he was just too habituated to having him around. His life was always full of uncertainties. It was then that he came to realize he relied on Darius more than he previously thought. Through all the years, he was the one constant. As much as he wanted to right now, he wasn’t sure if throwing it all away was going to work for either of them.

Darius tossed the rag back where he found it and stretched out his arms in a loud yawn. He approached the bed where Therion already lay and gestured him to move over. Therion was annoyed with his impoliteness but obliged, figuring it wasn’t worth starting any more fighting. He was getting too tired to argue any more.

The bed shook with Darius’ weight as he flopped in, getting comfortable under the thin blanket he had to share. He faced away from Therion and stared across the room. It was late and the only illumination came from the shining moon. The events of the night played back in his head, painful and confusing though they may be. He was forced to confront what he had been denying for so long.

If only it didn’t backfire, he thought. Although he had a stubborn personality, the contemplation filled him with the resolve to try and patch up the mistake he had made. He had a feeling it was a much bigger mistake than he could wrap his mind around right now. He was much too tired to think too much about that.

He turned his head to the side to sneak a glimpse at Therion. The silver-haired man was face up to the ceiling, eyes wide open with a discordant expression. Another wave of guilt washed over Darius, stronger than any he’d felt before. The entire situation was ultimately his fault, and he had no idea how to go about fixing it. He decided to take a cautious first step and turned around in bed to face Therion on his side.

“Therion.”

At the sound of his name, Therion instinctively turned his head. He regretted it as soon as he saw Darius facing him.

He sighed exaggeratedly, trying to let him know _just_ how irritated he was. “What?”

Darius approached him and gently touched his shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’ta done that.”

The apology did nothing but anger Therion. He jerked his shoulder away and turned to face Darius. “Sorry? You’re sorry _now_? After everything? You’re the one who wanted me to do this and now you’re acting like I did something wrong. If it weren’t for what I just did, we’d be sleeping in the freezing cold.”

Although he didn’t think his apology was going to magically fix everything, Darius felt disappointed that it went over this poorly.

“You want to act like I’m some sort of slut you can use to get your dick wet and then pretend nothing happened afterwards. But if I go and use my talents to help us both, you go crazy and pull out your dagger? What was that even about? Fuck you, man. Fuck. You.” Therion ranted so fast he barely took time to breathe in between sentences.

Darius just looked completely upset at this point, having no idea what to say in response.

“You were only jealous because you saw that I could enjoy myself without you–“

“That’s not fucking true!” Darius cut him off, eyes glassy with welling tears.

“Then tell me something true for once.”

Darius paused, trying his best to stop himself from saying something that would cause him to burst into tears. After a few moments, he composed himself and spoke with gravity.

“I admit it, Therion. I feel something… deeper… for you. You must’ve realized by now.”

Therion took time to process the information he’d just heard.

Darius continued. “I thought that… I thought that if I sent you off with some other man I’d stop feeling that way. It didn’t work, clearly. All that happened was enragin’ ya, and makin’ me feel…” He clenched his fists. “Makin’ myself feel jealous.”

Although he appreciated the honesty, Therion didn’t have any response. He wasn’t interested in forgiving Darius right now. He wasn’t surprised by the confession, but he wasn’t impressed either. He simply shook his head and turned around to face away from his partner.

“At least you finally said it. Hmph. Good night, Darius.”

He shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep rather quickly, the stress of the night seemingly overwhelming him.

Darius took one last look at his partner before going to sleep himself. That same self-hatred bubbled to the surface as he laid his eyes on his peaceful face. It pained him to be something so ugly desiring someone so beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't lost interest in writing this fic, for the record. My life has just been very weird and hectic I suppose. Not that I have an especially huge audience... I'm writing for an obscure pairing in a relatively obscure game. I've been playing the mobile game which has some characters I've taken a liking to like Cress and Wingate (yes I have a thing for edgy rogue characters if that wasn't already obvious). I'm also looking forward to the console sequel, even if it has a terrible name like Triangle Strategy... It's not like "Octopath Traveler" is that much better. In fact that silly name alone almost made me dismiss the game until I realized it was a classic-style JRPG. I'm obsessed with SNES-era JRPGs as they were some of the first video games I've ever played...
> 
> Enough about me. To answer - when can you expect another chapter? Probably not for another month or even two to be honest lol. 
> 
> I've gotten to working on my own original story lately. It's in pretty preliminary stages of planning and concept artwork right now, so that will be where I direct more and more of my creative energy. As it stands, this fic is really just for me to practice writing. The quality of stuff I write here is pretty subpar compared to a professional and well-written novel, and I'll obviously hold myself to a higher standard with my own original work.
> 
> But writing fanfiction is fun and is maybe like the writing equivalent of an artist making a bunch of sloppy sketches ^_^


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